Shadow Games
by Ice and Thunder
Summary: 'You can run, but you can't hide. If you hurt their loved ones, they will chase you. They will haunt you, until you have given up. They've been through hell, lost more than enough, and now it's time for revenge.' Rated M for violence. Many ships included.
1. Chapter 1

_**Shadow Games**_

**Yo, **_**Ice and Thunder**_** here! I've read so many wonderful stories on this site, and I was kind of writing one about demons, so I thought, why not write a fanfiction as practice? I've already started on a couple of different ones, and this one is a test to see if all goes well. Just to see if all of you like the way I write. This story was inspired by a song called 'Shadow Games'. Depending on your reviews, I could turn this into a story or a one-shot. Enjoy!**

Clad in robes, they walked over the dark streets. They looked just like shadows in those street lamps. In the town of Crocus, they walked in the middle of the road, not caring much for any approaching cars. No cars occupied the streets at night anyway, in fear of them. Nobody wanted to just run into them. Their legend spread like wildfire. They were feared throughout the town. They were wherever they needed to be. They were there when duty called.

They arrived at their destination. They entered the building. The basement is where their target was. However, they were stopped by a bouncer. "This is a private party. Only invited people may enter." The figures stayed silent. One of them stepped forward. It was like he just appeared out of the shadows themselves. He lowered his hood, his face staying in the shadows. Without the bouncer noticing, the man suddenly appeared next to him. For the bouncer, it felt like the man had faded, and appeared next to him. He stood shocked, and was easily knocked out with a single blow from the man. The bouncer had moved his widened eyes towards the fist driven into his stomach before he collapsed. But then again, they had all had martial arts lessons.

Without saying another word, they entered the basement of the building, where there was music being played, and the sound of laughing was heard. Nobody noticed them slip in. But then again, they had all had stealth lessons.

The one that had lowered his hood before appeared before them, the others stayed hidden in plain sight. He cleared his throat and watched everyone stare at him. He had abyss black hair, which covered the right half of his face. He had red eyes, and a scar on his nose. It wasn't very visible, but his lips tugged upwards lightly at the corner. It looked like he was smirking, if you looked close enough. "Oi, who the fuck are you, and what the hell are you doing here? How the fuck did you get in, anyway?"

Instead of answering those questions, the man said: "Let's play a game of Russian Roulette. If I win, you guys leave the town and never come back. If you win, you get to kill me." His voice was dark. He proceeded to walk over to a gun that hung on the wall. The other hooded figures watched silently. The black-haired man grabbed the gun walked over to a table, and sat down. "Your leader will play with me, and thus decide your fate. Call him forth."

A tall orange-haired man appeared from the crowd. He sat down on the chair opposite. He had a cigarette in his mouth, and wore a purple tank top with black jeans and brown shoes. "You know, I could kill you right here and now, but a game sounds fun." The leader said, leaning in on the table.

"The rules are simple. I load the gun with one bullet. The gun has six chambers. Five are going to be empty, one is going to be loaded. You can back out anytime you want, but backing out means you surrender. Agreed?"

"I know how the game works. Let's get this show on the road!" He roared, his gang cheering. "One more thing," the man in robes said. "If you cheat, you automatically lose." Next, he removed five bullets from the gun and spun the chambers around. No one knew where the bullet was. The black-haired man laid the gun in the middle of the table and span it around as well. It pointed to himself. He picked the gun up and held it against his own temple. "I go first," was what he said, before pulling the trigger. Nothing happened. "My turn." The orange-haired leader wanted to set an example for his gang, so he complied with the rules by holding the gun against his own temple. A bud of sweat dripped from his forehead. The man that had been so over confident before, was now about to wet his pants. He closed his eyes tightly and pulled the trigger. He opened his eyes when nothing happened. He looked at the robe-clad man, who was smirking. But instead of losing it, the gang leader decided it would be best if he would act cool. So he handed his opponent the gun and plastered a smirk on his face, which he would force to stay there. The black-haired man didn't even flinch when he pulled the trigger. He tossed the gun over towards the gang leader. Said man was starting to grow nervous even more. The bullet had to be in one of the last three chambers. He pressed the gun against his temple and pulled the trigger, his eyes closed tightly again, while his smirk weakened. Nothing happened. Two chambers left. He slid the gun over to the black-haired man, waiting in anticipation. He feared for his life. There was a 50% chance left that his opponent would be shot, but the same went for himself. The black-haired man held the gun against his own temple again. He closed his eyes and remained completely calm. He pulled the trigger and… nothing. Just the simple 'click' of the trigger being pulled. "Well, looks like you drew the short straw." The black-haired man remarked and gave the gun to his opponent. Now the orange-haired man was really afraid. Then a plan shot up and he calmed down. "Nice game, kid," he started, then pointed the gun at the black-haired man in front of him. "But I win."

"I'm warning you, you're breaking the rules of the game."

"Like I care about that. Adios, kid." Just before he pulled the trigger, the black-haired man kicked the wooden table that separated him from his opponent. The table fell on the gang leader, who pushed it aside and got up from his chair. He aimed the gun, but… there was no one there. The black-haired man had disappeared. Suddenly the orange-haired man felt a sharp pain in his knee-cap and he fell down on one knee. Behind him was the black-haired man. "Why, you..!" He pulled the trigger, but the man was gone. He looked over at his own gang for help, and they pointed. Their fingers pointed towards the direction of their leader, but then a little higher. "How pathetic." The robe-clad man was now in front of him again. The leader pulled the trigger again, but nothing happened. Then he remembered that he only had one shot, which was wasted. He watched shocked as the gun was kicked from his hand. "N-No, please… get away!" The gang watched their terrified leader crawl backwards towards them, and were starting to get scared themselves. "You broke the rules, which means you lose."

"I-I, I lose! I lose! I lose!" Just when the black-haired man was about to let him go, his eyes grew dark. It looked like he was clad in the shadows themselves now, and he picked up the gun. He the remaining five chambers of the gun with bullets. "But, you did try to kill me. So let's see what your destiny holds. This time, five of the six chambers are loaded. Ready?" Without waiting for a response, he pressed the gun against the forehead of the gang leader, who had started to cry. The trigger was pulled. The bang of the shot echoed through the room. The robe-clad man warned the gang. "Leave the town before noon tomorrow, or experience the same fate." He pulled his hood back on, and faded into the darkness.

At the park, it was midnight. The figures clad in robes were all gathered. One of them walked over to a tree, and pulled a twig downwards. It didn't break, but there was a cracking sound heard. The tallest of the whole group moved towards an odd-looking patch of grass, and lifted it. It turned out to be door, leading to a set of stairs. They all entered, one after the other. They appeared before a huge metal door. One of them stepped forward and hit the password. The door opened, and they all entered. They threw their robes on the pile one by one. "Rogue, good job tonight. Keep Shadow under control, though. That is all." A blonde man said. He had short, spiky blonde hair. His body was very muscular and he had a scar shaped like a thunder bolt over his right eye. He was the closest thing to what they called a leader. "All teams can go home, today Lamia Scale will train with Quattro Cerberus. Meaning, Lyon and Bacchus. Objections?" He split them up into groups according to which school they went to.

"Hell yeah! I want to train too!" One of them roared. He had spiky, pink hair. "Sure, whatever. So Natsu joins them. Anyone else?" One more hand was raised. "If droopy eyes and Lyon are training, I guess I should too."

"What did you call me, shanty eyes?!"

"Shut it, flame-brain!"

"You shut it, ice queen!"

"Guys, calling names isn't manly!" A white-haired, buffed up man exclaimed.

"Stay out of it!" They both yelled in unison and punched the large male.

"SHUT UP! BOTH OF YOU!" the blonde man from before roared. His voice was like the sound of crackling thunder. Despite his strong voice, Natsu exclaimed: "You want a piece of me, Laxus?!"

"Goddamn it, Natsu! Do you always have to think about fighting?!" When Laxus got no answer he continued. "Okay, so Lyon, Bacchus, Natsu and Gray are training. Get going. As for the others, you better show up tomorrow. I have a good game for our training. Now, get going." Everyone was starting to leave. But the blonde called a maroon-haired man over to him. "Cobra, I need to speak to you." The maroon-haired man turned around and headed over to the blonde. He also had a scar on the same eye, only his scar disabled his eye. "Sup, Sparks?"

"How is it going with the whole undercover operation?"

"I did what you asked."

"And?"

"You were right. I told them to count me in."

"Good, I'll talk to Jellal tomorrow."

"Sure, whatever. Can I go now?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Alright, time to train!" the pink-haired man from before exclaimed. "I'm all fired up!" Soon they started with a simple warming up. While they were busy, Laxus walked in. He was always checking out how everyone was training and gave pointers where necessary. He watched them train.

After doing a series of push-ups, sit ups, and running laps, they started to work on their combat skills. Laxus was the most experienced in combat of their whole group. He watched as they sparred. Bacchus was sparring with Natsu, while Gray sparred with Lyon. He focused on Bacchus and Natsu first. Said pink-haired man took no pause from his punches. He continued attacking, throwing punches and kicks. Bacchus was walking like a drunk, dodging every hit he got from the raging male effectively, then countering it. "Natsu, if you keep attacking, he'll start to see openings in your form!" Natsu didn't listen to him. Well, Natsu was a genius when it came down to fighting. He could adapt himself to any kind of fight. So Laxus wasn't surprised when Natsu countered Bacchus' counterattack.

Next, he glanced over at Gray and Lyon. Said men were like brothers to each other. They had grown up together under the same teacher, who was also their adoptive mother. But unfortunately, she was murdered. Both Gray and Lyon were sparring hard with each other. Lyon, being older, had more power than Gray. But Gray in turn had much more stamina. Lyon sent a kick in Gray's direction, but the raven-haired man grabbed his leg, and pulled him closer by it. Gray threw a punch in Lyon's direction, who was sent tumbling to the ground.

While Laxus watched the sparring sessions, he remembered why they had started this group. It was to protect the ones they loved. The ones they held dear. Every single one of them had lost more than enough. They had all been through hell. This was to make sure it never happened again. Whenever one of their loved ones was in danger or harmed, they took off. Not all at once though. A handful of people. They kept it a secret. No one knew, but them. They all taught each other what they knew. Laxus taught everyone how to fight. Rogue taught them how to be stealthy and how to fade into the shadows. They looked out for each other. Tonight, they got the gang that had harmed Yukino. She was a girl that went to school with Sting and Rogue. She was like a sister to Rogue. Laxus had asked everyone to make a list of their loved ones. Only Laxus would be allowed to see the list. He kept them in his office, with a security lock. The members were allowed to add a name whenever they wanted. The only names on Rogue's list were Sting, Yukino and Frosch. Frosch being Rogue's cat.

After the sparring sessions, everyone went home. Laxus to his apartment, Natsu to his own house, Gray, Lyon and Bacchus to wherever they lived.

**So, how was it? Did I do a good job? Please review and tell me what you thought! Any tips? Tops? Should I continue? Of course I want to continue. But that depends on you guys! I really hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing! I don't own Fairy Tail!**

**See ya next time!**

**-Sirev. **

**P.S. Yeah, that's my name. Kinda. **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Yoo! Look who decided to post another chapter! I got one review yesterday, which made me quite happy. This is my first fanfiction, for those that didn't know, and I really enjoy writing it. I think I'll probably continue with this story.**

**And of course, a special thanks to **_**radishbumps**_** for reviewing and favoriting! **

**Another thanks to **_**Shiranai Atsune **_**for following this story!**

**Anyway, enjoy!**

Morning. He got up from his bed and started to look for some clothes. He found a pair of jeans in his closet, and a long-sleeved red button-up shirt. He threw the pieces of clothing on the bed. He threw on a pair of sweat pants, and remained shirtless. It was 6:00 AM. He walked over to the bed of his raven-haired counterpart and pulled the sheets off him. Said man remained asleep, unbothered by the sudden cold. So, he got behind the bed and lifted it from one side, causing the sleeping man to fall off and wake up. "Ugh, what…" Then realization struck him. "Lyon, you bastard! What'd you do that for, huh?!"

"You weren't waking up, what was I supposed to do?"

"Maybe ask me to get up, you moron!"

"Yeah, yeah, maybe next time. Come on, we gotta train." Lyon answered coolly. The raven-haired male got up from the ground and threw on his own pair of sweatpants with a sigh.

They entered the hallway and faced each other. Suddenly, they simultaneously jumped and let themselves fall on their stomach, but their hands broke their fall. Meanwhile their feet had found their way towards the wall and rested against it. The two men started doing a tough series of push-ups. Their arms lifted their weight off the ground, then lowered them. Again and again. They continued this process until they reached about 40. They let their feet fall to the ground and pushed themselves off the ground. They walked towards the living room, threw on their combat gloves, and started a round of sparring with each other.

After the sparring session, Lyon grabbed his towel and jumped into the bathroom before Gray had the chance. Gray used the opportunity to look for his clothes. He found a pair of black jeans in his closet, and a white T-Shirt under his bed. At the same time Lyon walked out of the bathroom, and Gray went in. Lyon threw on his clothes, and entered the kitchen. He grabbed some cereal and some ice cold milk. Literally ice cold. There was an actual chunk of ice in the milk. He poured some milk into a bowl and added a reasonable amount of the cereal. When Lyon started eating, Gray entered the kitchen, shirtless.

"Gray, your shirt." Lyon said without looking up. Cursing, Gray went back to his room to find his shirt. After returning, Gray grabbed the same as his white-haired counterpart and both ate in silence. When they were done eating, they grabbed their bags and left for school. Lyon went to Lamia Scale and Gray went to Fairy Tail.

At Sabertooth, Rogue and his blonde counterpart just entered the building. The class hadn't started yet, so they went to the cafeteria. Of course, like always, Yukino was already there. Rufus and Orga were never on time. They both went to join her.

"Good morning, Yukino!" the blonde greeted cheerfully. He had a wide grin on his face, with a scar diagonally above his eyebrow. He was wearing his regular school uniform with a badge that said 'Sabertooth'. The headmaster had forced everyone to wear one, since he thought they were no ordinary school.

"Good morning, Sting-sama, Rogue." Came the reply.

"You don't have to use those honorifics, you know. We're friends, right?"

"Sorry, I'm just used to them."

Sting and Rogue sat down, both on either side of her.

"Hey, did you guys hear? That gang that stole my purse left the city early in the morning. Their leader was found dead."

Both Sting and Rogue shared a knowing look with one another.

"That's weird, huh Rogue?" Sting said.

"Not interested." Rogue replied. Then the bell rang.

"We better get to class, or the Lady will kill us!" Sting yelled as he grabbed his bag. Yukino and Rogue followed his example and the trio ran to class. The Lady was the daughter of the headmaster and the meanest teacher in the whole school. Students said she was actually cold-blooded. Her name was Minerva Orlando.

They entered the classroom just in time before the second bell rang and started breathing heavily.

"Glad to see you could join us. You're late. Yukino, after class my father wants to speak to you in person." A bitter cold voice spoke up. The trio looked up into the angry eyes of their teacher, who was, like always, wearing a dress joined by an overdose of make-up which made her look like a demon.

"With all due respect, my Lady, we were just on time." Sting spoke up.

"Is that so? Well, the clock says otherwise." She replied coldly. The trio glanced over at the clock, which stated they were five minutes late. But that wasn't possible, because the bell that signals the start of the lesson went off not even a minute ago. They knew she must have changed the time on it by the smirk she had on her face, and her eyes which seemed to say '_what're you gonna do about it?_'

Rogue, however, kept his cool, walked over to the computer and hit Minerva's password, unlocking the screen. He turned the screen around, showing the digital time. "Satisfied, Miss Orlando? The clock's time had been changed. We just made it." He proceeded to walk over to a random spot in the classroom and sat down. Sting and Yukino followed silently, not wanting to enrage their teacher anymore.

When break time came around, Yukino was nowhere to be seen. Sting and Rogue were both pretty surprised at her absence. She was barely ill, and when she was she'd always inform Rogue before going home. She lived by herself. Worry was written clear over both their features.

"You're sure she didn't leave you a message or something? Check your phone." Sting ordered his black-haired counterpart.

"I've done that seven times already!" Rogue replied, checking his phone for the umpteenth time.

"Something must have happened, this isn't like her." Sting pressed on. Meanwhile, Rufus and Orga were watching their friends in a weird way.

"What the hell's up with them?" The green-haired, buffed-up male asked.

"I have no memory of them looking this worried before." The slim blonde replied.

Suddenly, Sting and Rogue yelled simultaneously "THE HEADMASTER!" before running off.

They never liked their headmaster. He was a mean and cruel man, who wanted nothing but power. Nothing else mattered than being number one.

They started searching the whole school for their white-haired friend. They sped through the hallways at such a speed, that no one could see who it was.

After checking the entire school, they both had short, ragged breaths and were sweating all over. There was only one more place they needed to check. Words weren't necessary. As soon as they caught their breaths, they rushed up the stairs to the top floor and opened the door leading to the rooftop.

There she was. Her knees were pulled up to her chest and her face was buried in them. Her body was shaking. Both men approached her, sitting on either side of her again. Like always, Sting to the right and Rogue to the left. "Hey Yuki, what's wrong?" Rogue asked in a soft and kind voice. Sting had never heard him speak that way to anyone. Yukino just shook her head, her sobs were clearly audible. Rogue moved his arms around her and held her close to him. The white-haired female reacted by burying her face into his chest and crying even harder. This sight was unbearable for the both of them. "Yukino, what happened?" Sting asked seriously. Yukino's sobs quieted down after a while. Her voice was still cracking, and she spoke barely audible. It was a good thing that both Sting and Rogue had super hearing. "Th-The Headmaster…" She started. More tears fell from her eyes. Her cheeks were soaked, like she had been crying for hours. Her eyes were red and puffy when she turned to look at her blonde friend. Sting could hear his heart breaking. He couldn't bear to see her like this. He would have the Headmaster's head for this. "H-He…" she started again, but then more sobs escaped her lips. Her breathing was short, and when she finally found her breath and the courage to speak, she continued. "H-He… told me… told me to… to… strip…" she started crying again. The air around Sting and Rogue changed. An unbelievable amount of anger gathered. "What happened next?" Sting asked, his eyes shaded by his hair, his fists balled up so tightly, he ripped through his own flesh with his nails. "I… I refused… and… and…," more tears escaped. "And… he forced me to… then… then he touched…" Sting punched the ground beneath him so hard, it cracked, and bits of stone were sent flying everywhere. His knuckles started bleeding but he didn't care. He got up and turned his back to the duo. "Rogue, you take care of her. I'll pay a visit to the Headmaster." He told his friend before leaving.

Jiemma entered his office, and sat down on his chair. What he didn't know, was that the door had been automatically locked. He was a muscular old man, with long white hair and a long white beard. His eye fell upon a cardboard box with a stack of A3 papers piled on top of it. **(Note: For those that don't know, A3 is the size of a poster.) **Just when he was about to remove the papers, a voice stopped him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. We'll be needing that for our game." From the shadows, the light emerged. Sting walked up to Jiemma's desk and sat down in the chair in front of it. "Sting?! What is the meaning of this, you brat?!"

"I just thought you wanted a game partner."

"A game?!"

"The rules are simple. Your snake is in the box. We both remove the lowest piece of paper, one after the other. Whoever makes the stack fall, gets bitten by the snake and loses. If you win, I won't tell anyone about what you did to Yukino and leave the town. If I win, however, you suffer. Assuming we both survive the poison."

"And what makes you think I will accept this foolish challenge of yours?"

"Are you afraid, Headmaster?" Sting knew that would work, and it did.

"Fine, I accept. And to prove I'm superior, I go first."

"As you wish."

Jiemma was always frowning, and now his frown deepened in concentration as he tried to remove the lowest piece of paper from the stack. The usually cheery Sting wasn't exactly smiling either. He had a frown on his as well, but along with that he looked like he could kill anyone at any time. Those baby blue eyes were roaring murder.

In the meantime, Jiemma had successfully removed the piece of paper. Sting grabbed a hold of the corner of the now lowest piece, and pulled with inhuman speed. The stack hadn't moved an inch and Sting was now holding the piece of paper in his hand. He discarded it by dropping it. Now it was Jiemma's turn again, as he now again started to remove the piece of paper. He wasn't ready to try something like Sting did. When he had removed the piece of paper, Sting repeated his previous move and Jiemma started again. The stack was decreasing one by one, and now it was Sting's turn again. He removed the piece of paper slowly this time. Jiemma thought it was safe, since the stack was now a little smaller than at first sight. So he tried the same move as Sting. He grabbed a corner of the piece of paper, and pulled as fast as he could. Unfortunately for him, he failed. The paper was in his hand, but the stack of papers had tumbled and fallen over. Jiemma's eyes widened as his cobra jumped out and bit its own master on the finger. Jiemma could feel the poison in his finger spread through his hand slowly. It hurt him a lot, but he still grabbed the snake and threw him at Sting. Said blonde caught the snake by its neck and put him in his original glass box. Meanwhile Jiemma ran to the door, and soon found out it was locked. "S-Sting… How dare you?!"

"Shut up, you fucking bastard! How dare you even lay a finger on her?! I'll kill you for what you've done, and you'll die right here!" Sting roared. Sting approached the principal with a murderous look in his eyes.

"Why you…!" Jiemma threw a punch at Sting, which he easily caught. Jiemma tried pulling his punch back, but in return Sting only tightened his grip. "I'm gonna make you pay ever hurting her." He said with a deadly voice. Yukino's face shot up inside his head. Her red, puffy eyes. Her soaked cheeks. Her shaking body. Sting gritted his teeth, and his free fist collided with Jiemma's nose at full force. A loud 'crack' was heard, and Jiemma's nose was clearly shattered. Blood flowed in every direction from within his nose. Jiemma let out a scream filled with pain. Sting showed no emotion, no pity. This was the man that had hurt her. He wouldn't allow this man to live, no matter what. He let go of Jiemma's fist, and the next instant his foot was driven into Jiemma's stomach. With the wind knocked out of him, Jiemma fell to his knees. Sting finished it by thrusting his knee into Jiemma's face, cracking his skull. Jiemma fell backwards, unconscious. Sting opened the door and left the now dead headmaster in the room. He headed to the bathroom and washed the blood off his hands. He checked his phone for any text from Rogue, and he saw that Rogue had gone home with Yukino. Sting left school, and first went to his own house to change his bloody pants from where he had kneed Jiemma. He selected a pair of regular old jeans with a grey tank top and a vest over it. He headed to Rogue's house and rang the doorbell. Rogue himself opened up and let him in. "Did you kill him?" Rogue asked.

"I don't know. I think so. How is she?"

"Asleep, in my room. God, Sting, she wouldn't stop crying. I've never been so angry before. I swear, if Jiemma survives, I'll pay him a personal visit for harming my sister like that." Rogue muttered the last bit more to himself than to Sting. Next, both of them went into Rogue's room and sat beside Yukino.

"Sting, we can't leave her like this. But we also have to be present today at the base."

"Don't worry, I've got and idea. I'll call up Natsu-san, and ask him if he could make sure she could stay with Lucy-san, or Mira-san. She seems to be pretty close with them, right?"

"Yeah, that should do."

So Sting called his pink-haired friend and explained the situation. Natsu promised to call back as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, Yukino had woken up while Sting and Rogue were sitting on the chairs next to her bed. She noticed Sting's bloody knuckles from when he punched the ground. She reached out for his hand and grabbed it. Sting, who was lost in thoughts about her, noticed the small grip on his hand and looked into Yukino's deep, brown eyes. He smiled softly, a smile which she returned. Then, her eyes started becoming glassy. "I-I'm sorry… I must've caused you two a lot of trouble…" She half-whispered.

"Not at all, don't worry about it, alright?" Sting answered kindly. Rogue looked at the scene before him with a smile. Then the doorbell rang. "I'll go." Rogue volunteered. He got up and left the room. He deeply hoped his foster parents weren't home already. His prayers were answered when he opened the door and saw a blonde girl and a pink-haired guy in front of him. He let them in and led them to his room. Upon entering, they saw Yukino was sitting upright, still holding Sting's hand. Lucy rushed towards her and enveloped her friend in a hug. Natsu, Sting and Rogue left the room and were talking quietly in the hallway.

"So, can she stay with Lucy-san?" Sting asked.

"Yeah, Lucy said she lived by herself too, so she said it wouldn't be a problem." Natsu replied. "What about Jiemma?"

"We don't know. Sting left him unconscious. He might've died, he might've survived." This time Rogue spoke up.

"Boy, Laxus is NOT gonna be happy…" Natsu replied.

They entered their base. They had sent Yukino off with Lucy. She couldn't stay at Rogue's house because of his foster parents, and she couldn't stay at Sting's for the same reason. Not even two minutes had passed, when they heard a roar sounding like crackling thunder. Hell, forget thunder. They thought they heard a storm approaching with the ferocity with which Laxus roared. "STING! ROGUE! NATSU! MY OFFICE! NOW!"

**Weeeeeeellll? How was it? Any tips? Tops? Was it what you expected? Please review! That gives me much more confidence! Of course, a follow or favorite is also much appreciated! I might post the next chapter tomorrow, if I can manage with all that homework. Anyway, see ya!**

**-Sirev**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Hiya! I'm back with another chapter! My break is over, so updates might take a while. As I promised, at least once a week you'll get an update. School's started, which means way more homework and tests. My whole break was wasted on that. I only had the mornings and evenings to write, but now the mornings are gone, and my parents want me to go to bed early in school days, so I can't stay up for too long. Anyway, I promise I will update at least once a week. **

**And a special thanks to a guest and **_**radishbumps**_** for reviewing!**

**Enjoy!**

Laxus' roar had caught the attention everyone there. He didn't care though. He entered his office, and Natsu, Sting and Rogue shared a look, before following him. When they had closed the door and sat down in front of his desk, he started. "What the hell were you thinking?! Explain, now!" So they did. Sting and Rogue told him what had happened, and Laxus listened closely, without interrupting them. When they had finished, Laxus sighed. "You know that is not how we work. We pay a visit at night. Now the cops will know one of us is in Sabertooth, and if they find out that your friend was raped, they'll suspect you. Now, is he dead?"

"We don't know." Sting answered.

"What moves did you use?"

"Well, after the snake had bitten him, he threw a punch, which I caught. I struck his nose, kicked his stomach, and kneed his face."

"Sting, be a bit more detailed. How hard did you hit him?"

"With all the force I could manage."

Laxus stared at him for a moment. Then, he got up and grabbed something they couldn't see. He went back to his chair, and held a wooden plank in front of Sting.

"Now, break the plank."

Sting looked at his wounded fist, then back at the plank. He pulled his fist back, and thrust it forward at a high speed with quite some force. The plank broke in two.

"What now?"

"Have a look at this." Laxus replied, and gave them the plank. He had been hiding a few layers of wood behind it.

"A new strength has awakened in you, Sting. You're much more powerful now."

Sting just stared at the layers of wood that were broken into two.

"Now, let's put that aside for now. If you struck him in the places you named, with all the force you could manage, you probably killed him." Laxus stated. "And since you've unlocked new strength, Natsu and Gajeel will train with you two to teach you to control that power."

"Hey Sting, let's fight right now!" Natsu exclaimed excitedly, getting up.

"Natsu, sit down. Now, Sting, are you sure no one was there when you exited the room?"

"Yeah." Was all he said, still a bit confused at his new strength. Natsu noticed, and spoke up.

"Our feelings give us power. When Yukino was hurt, you received the power necessary to defeat Jiemma. I wouldn't be surprised if the same happened to Rogue."

Rogue had been silent the whole time, and he continued to stay silent too.

Laxus finished the speech with: "No more mistakes. Next time, one of you informs me first hand. Got that?" The three nodded and left the room.

Laxus followed soon after and his voice was heard by everyone when he roared: "Everyone to the training room, now!" And everyone did as he asked. When they entered the training room, they saw all the materials had been removed and put back in the closet. Instead, the room was empty, except for the two flags hanging on each side of the room. "The rules are simple!" Laxus started when everyone had gathered in front of him. "You grab the opposing team's flag and run back to your own. There are two holes on each side of the wall. Both holes need to be filled for your team to win. This is a teamwork game. I'll split you up into your teams. Team A goes to the left side of the field, Team B to the right side! Any questions?" When nobody said anything, Laxus continued. "Natsu Dragneel, Team A! Gray Fullbuster, Team B! Gajeel Redfox, Team B! Elfman Strauss, Team A! Bickslow, Team B! Freed Justine, Team A! Sting Eucliffe, Team B! Rogue Cheney, Team A! Jellal Fernandes, Team B! Cobra, Team A! Lyon Vastia, Team A! Bacchus Groh, Team B! Everyone ready?!" He was answered with the sound of roars. "Game start!" Laxus had made the worst teams possible, so that everyone could learn to cooperate with each other.

The game started with Natsu roaring and running to the opponent's field. Gray got in his way by leaping off the ground and kicking Natsu off his feet. Elfman roared and tackled Gray to the ground, but Bacchus took his spot. Elfman and Bacchus kept each other busy, while Natsu got up and yelled: "Gray, you bastard! I'll get you for that!"

Meanwhile Bickslow had entered enemy territory. He got stopped dead in his tracks by his best friend, Freed, who was defending team A's flag. "LET'S PARTY!" Bickslow roared and threw out his tongue. He charged at Freed, who simply sidestepped his opponent, letting him crash into the wall. "You're gonna have to do better than that, if you want to beat me." Bickslow got up faster than Freed had anticipated and punched his green-haired friend. Freed, however, blocked his fist and pulled it towards him, throwing Bickslow off balance, and sidestepped him again, this time kicking Bickslow's ankle and letting him fall to the ground.

Rogue saw his chance and used the shadows to sneak into enemy territory. But Sting didn't let his brother out of his sight. He attacked Rogue, and Rogue dodged the hit. He sent a kick towards Sting's chest, who was pushed back.

Seeing how Rogue failed to get to the flag, Lyon went instead. But Gajeel, who was looking for a fight, ran towards Lyon and sent a punch towards his face. The white-haired man, who had not seen the punch coming, was sent flying to the ground. He got up and resumed the fight.

Cobra heard Jellal rushing towards his team's flag before he saw him. The thing about Jellal was, he was incredibly fast. The group learned speed from him. But Cobra heard him coming, and decided to stop the blue-haired man before he got too far. Jellal also had a red tattoo over his left eye. Cobra heard him coming, and sent a fist in exactly the right spot to stop Jellal. However, Jellal knew Cobra and figured he might do something like this, so he lowered himself to the ground and slid through the opening Cobra's legs had created. When Cobra didn't feel anything hit his fist, he turned around and saw Jellal was already at the other side of the room. Cobra ran after him.

As soon as Gray threw Natsu to the ground, he resumed running towards his opponent's field. He saw Jellal was already there, so he yelled his name, catching his attention. Jellal saw what Gray was planning, and gave a brief nod. He proceeded to run at full speed towards his raven-haired teammate and jumped on Gray's hands, which had intertwined their fingers with each other. Gray threw him upwards at full force, where Jellal caught the flag. However, when Jellal was about to land, he was caught by a certain white-haired man, who yelled it was a manly catch. Elfman discarded his opponent, but not before snatching the flag back and putting it back.

Natsu was now fighting Bacchus, and enjoying every bit of their match. He punched Bacchus off balance, or so he thought, but Bacchus returned with twice the force. Natsu was sent tumbling to the ground. When he got back up, he noticed Bacchus was gone. "You bastard! Come back here and fight me!" Natsu roared. Of course, Bacchus didn't oblige as he struck Elfman when he had just put the flag back. Bacchus leaped onto the large male's shoulders and set off towards the flag from there. He grabbed it and sped towards his own side of the field, with Jellal next to him. Every time someone tried to stop Bacchus, he would throw the flag at Jellal and vice versa. Rogue saw their strategy, and as soon as they were about to approach him, he ducked and kicked his brother's feet from underneath him. Rogue got up and tackled Jellal, who was not in possession of the flag. "LYON!" was all he roared. But yelling the white-haired man's name had been more than enough. Lyon turned and ran away from Gajeel, leaving the pierced man angry. Lyon was just able to grab Bacchus' foot and pull him to the ground. Sting saw his chance and grabbed the flag. He saw Cobra running towards him, so he yelled "GAJEEL-SAN!" before throwing the flag at the black-haired man. Gajeel caught the flag easily, but was tackled by Natsu right after. But Gajeel had a grip of iron, and didn't let the flag go. He was able to kick Natsu off of himself, before getting up to run towards his own flag post. The only thing left to do was reaching it. As soon as Gajeel was about to risk a jump, the flag was snatched from him and he felt a foot pressure his shoulder. When he looked up, he saw a shirtless Gray putting the flag into the second hole. As soon as Gray landed, the game was over. "How dare you use me as a set off?!" Gajeel roared angrily at his companion.

"We won the game, didn't we?" the raven-haired man replied simply.

"Gray, you bastard, I'll get you next time!" Natsu exclaimed, joining the conversation.

Laxus had been watching everyone play the little game and was quite satisfied with their skills. "Alright, that's it for today!" He started, gaining everyone's attention. "Today, Sabertooth will train with Natsu and Gajeel. The others go take a shower and go home." Everyone started to leave. "Not you, Jellal. I need a word with you. My office."

Jellal was surprised, but obliged and followed the blonde man to his office. Laxus sat down and Jellal took a seat in front of him. "You've recently recruited the Oracion Seis. I think that's a great idea, but there's one problem: they're about to betray you. Cobra informed me of their plan, and I'll email it to you tonight."

Jellal looked shocked for a second, but then soon recovered. "I should've known…" was all he muttered.

"Look, you can trust Hot Eye and Cobra. Racer, Angel and Midnight want to betray you. You know Hot Eye and Cobra have something to fight for, just like us. The only reason Hot Eye isn't here, is because he'd probably tell the cops all about us. And with Gildarts in the police force, we can't take any chances." Gildarts was a teacher at Fairy Tail, but also worked with the police. He wasn't the brightest, but he most definitely was the strongest.

Jellal and Laxus discussed a bit further about what to do, before Jellal left to go home and Laxus got up to check on the four people training. What he saw didn't surprise him, but seeing it with his own eyes changed the look on his face. Sting was fighting Natsu, just as expected, and Rogue was keeping himself busy with Gajeel. Laxus couldn't help but notice the smiles they had on their faces. Of course, Natsu and Sting had huge grins on their faces, but even Gajeel and Rogue had their lips tugged upwards slightly. They were all enjoying it, which pleased the blonde, spiky haired leader. He sat down and watched how Sting and Natsu didn't pause from throwing their punches. Their punches went incredibly fast as well. Laxus followed the fight closely, then turned to Gajeel and Rogue. Both were a bit more relaxed than the previous two. He watched Gajeel throw multiple punches towards his opponent, then send a round house kick to his leg. Rogue dodged the punches with ease, but what he didn't know was that Gajeel used those as a diversion while he round housed Rogue. Said man landed on the ground, getting up immediately after. "Watch your opponent's every move, Raios." Gajeel claimed Rogue's name was Raios, and used to be his disciple. Rogue himself never said anything when the subject was brought up, so that part remains unknown. Laxus watched as they finished their sparring session, covered in sweat. All five left to go home.

Rogue went home with Sting, discussing school.

"I think the Lady will take over now Jiemma's gone."

"That's for sure. Minerva won't let this chance to get more power slide. She probably won't even care if her father's dead."

They split up where they usually did, and both went into their own direction.

While Rogue walked home, he heard some laughs, and a strong, unamused voice. He decided to go and check it out. He set off in a jog to the location of the sounds. He used his stealth to hide himself and entered a dark ally. In the moonlight he saw a few figures surrounding one. The figures were in the shadows, but the moon lit clear on the person in the middle. It was a girl, one about his age he guessed, who looked like she had never smiled before. She had a white headband with a white ribbon tied in a bow on her head, and her hair looked the deepest purple. However, if you looked close enough, you saw it was actually very straight black. Her eyes were greenish brown. A sort of golden color. She wore an elaborate blazer with golden lining and a large collar. Underneath you could see a white shirt with a red tie. She also wore white wrist-high gloves. Black tights covered her legs, with knee-high white boots. If you looked closely, you could also detect a short, white, frilled skirt. He just stared at her, until he found out he was, and forced himself to focus on the scene in front of him. She was surrounded by a couple of guys. "Hey, why don't you come with us, babe? We'll have some fun."

"And what if I refuse?"

"Then we'll drag you. You know what, that sounds way more fun." As soon as one of the men held out a hand to grab her, she grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm in a move Rogue knew well. He used the same move when someone grabbed him by the collar. The man was now on the ground and begging her to let him go. She did. "I will ask you one last time to leave." She said. They looked at each other, but then realized they were superior in numbers. So they attacked her all at once. But when Rogue got up and wanted to help, he saw her cutting through them like they were nothing. Rogue decided to stay where he was, and watch the fight. The girl was fighting in such a disciplined, controlled manner, that even he couldn't stop staring at her. After a couple of minutes, every single man lay on the ground, and the girl just left. Rogue stood still in the same spot for who knows how long. Just who was this girl?

**Yeah, so here it is! I hope you like it. I finished it, but if my parents find out I'm still up, I'm dead ^^". Anyway, thanks for reading! I don't know when the next chapter will be up, but I'll do it as soon as possible. You must've already guessed two of the many ships this story has. Anyway, I decided I'd tell you one fact about me every update. How's that sound? Please review, favorite and/or follow!**

**-Sirev**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Hiya! Guess who's back! Me! Okay, I'm writing the A/N now and explaining geography to a classmate at the same time. It ain't easy. Anyway, I'm back with another update! I'm sorry if it feels too rushed. I'll try to work on that.**

**And also one very, very, very special thanks to **_**Conflicting Chaos**_**! I hope I can get some feedback from you where necessary! If anyone reading this is a NaLu fan, I suggest following **_**Conflicting Chaos**_** and his/her stories. He/She writes the best NaLu stories ever written, and was a big inspiration to me for writing! **

**And also a special thanks to **_**radishbumps**_** for reviewing.**

**Enjoy!**

He wasn't going home anytime soon, he knew that for sure. He slumped over to a bar and entered. He sat down and ordered a few drinks. The bartender brought him what he asked for. He started drinking into the night. "Oi, Bacchus!" That stopped the drunk from drinking. He glanced over at the woman that had called him, and saw it was none other than Cana Alberona. She was part of Fairy Tail, and his drinking buddy. They've emptied quite a few bars together, all the time meeting each other on coincidence. "Fancy meeting you here, Cana." He answered with a grin. "How about we empty the bar tonight?" she asked.

"You know me, my soul is always WILD!" the drunk answered his friend with a yell. The brunette just smirked and sat down next to him. "Ready?" she asked.

"Hell yeah!" he roared.

"Go!" It was a little game of theirs. While emptying a bar, they would race. Whoever drunk the most, won.

They kept going at it, and when it was about 2:00 AM, they stopped. The bar was empty, and they were thrown out. They just laughed in response. "Oi, Cana, wegottaget home…" Bacchus mumbled while stumbling. He couldn't walk straight anymore. "Wait, who won?" she asked.

"Ehm, definitely me. Didn't you know? My soul is always WILD!" to which Cana replied by screaming "Four!" Another little game of theirs. Whenever Bacchus would yell 'wild', Cana would scream 'four'. They stumbled into the night, leaning on each other. They ended up in his apartment, where they both crashed for the night.

The next morning, it was Saturday. No school today. Bacchus got up, and went to the kitchen. He had a headache from last night, but that happened quite often. He threw some cold water in his face, and grabbed a leftover pizza from two days ago for breakfast. Cana joined him a couple of minutes later. When they were both eating, Bacchus asked her. "So, ya still like him?"

Cana knew who he was speaking of. Since Bacchus was her drinking buddy, she had told him about her crush on a certain male. So she blushed, and nodded. Bacchus grinned. "Why won't you just tell him already?"

"I… I don't know…"

"Relax Cana. We're buddies, right? Tell ya what, I'll help you."

"I-I don't need help. Why would you even bother?"

"You're the only one bothering to hang out with me!" he answered with a chuckle. Bacchus wasn't very social, and the fact that he was an alcoholic didn't make stuff better. He didn't care much, though. "Come on, we're buds, right? I promise I won't fuck it up." He tried to persuade her. Cana just grunted.

…

After Cana had left, Bacchus started training. He could manage right about 60 push-ups. He pushed his limits every morning, but didn't go too far. Afterwards, his usual routine continued with about the same amount of sit-ups. He had one boxing ball he kept hidden. Each morning he would pull it out, and train with it. Today was no different. He pulled out the boxing ball, and started ramming it with his open palms. There was a special type of martial arts he had studied. A very old type, thought to be forgotten. The style of the Drunken Falcon. He travelled all the way to China and stayed there for years to learn it when he was a kid. His kung fu made him almost invincible. All his power was in his palms. And when he was drunk, he only got stronger. A convenient fighting style for him, wouldn't you say?

"Yeah, that should do." The drunk smirked. He hid the boxing ball where he usually did, put on some presentable clothes and left for the base, since he didn't have much better things to do.

The buffed-up male got up. He stretched, and went downstairs, wearing his pajamas. He could smell the delicious breakfast from his room. His back felt sore from yesterday's training. Bacchus had hit him pretty hard.

Arriving downstairs, the white-haired man earned a "Good morning, Elf." from his sister.

"Morning, Nee-Chan." Like usual, she was standing in the kitchen, wearing her shorts and a simple T-Shirt with an apron, cooking a delicious breakfast.

He felt some pressure on his back, and heard a happy "Elf-Nii-Chan! Good morning!" But the white-haired male grunted and fell on one knee, a sharp pain in his back shooting up. His younger sister released him immediately, and kneeled beside him, clearly concerned. "Elf-Nii-Chan, are you alright? What's wrong?"

"Huh? Elf, what's wrong?" Now his elder sister came walking out of the kitchen and kneeled beside him. "N-Nothing, I fell yesterday." He answered. He felt guilty for lying to them. But they were what he was doing it for. He couldn't allow the only family he had left to leave him. "Elf, I know you're lying, but you need medical attention."

"N-No, I'm fine, Nee-Chan! I'm a man, after all!"

"Are you sure, Elfman?"

"Yes! A real man doesn't fall so easily!"

His sister sighed in response, and both of them helped him up. "If I see that you're having trouble with your back one more time, it's the doctor. Got it?" She ordered him. His sister was usually very sweet and wouldn't hurt a fly. But sometimes, it felt like her presence turned into something demonic. Everyone was scared of her then. Elfman gulped and nodded. "Good." She smiled sweetly before going back to her cooking. Elfman and his white-haired younger sister sat down at the table silently. The eldest sister placed the food in front of them, and joined them. "Thank you, Mira-Nee! It smells delicious!"

"Thank you, Nee-Chan! You're the man!" Both brother and sister yelled before digging in. Mirajane smiled at her siblings before starting to eat herself.

Jellal got up. From his camp in the woods, he snuck into Meredy's tent, and woke her silently. She got up, and met his concerned gaze. "Cobra, if you can hear me, come in." Jellal whispered not too silently. A few seconds later, a maroon-haired man walked in with a scar on his eye. He grunted a "good morning", before sitting down. "Okay. Now we're all here,-" Jellal started but was cut off by Cobra's hand. Cobra's ears twitched, and his eyes widened. He whispered: "They're here. And they brought company."

Getting up, Bickslow drank some water. He changed to his training clothes and started a series of push-ups and sit-ups. Nothing was worse than slacking off and getting weak. How would they be able to protect everyone that way?

After his regular morning routine, he took a shower and changed to his regular clothes. He grabbed his visor and went downstairs. He went into the kitchen, and grabbed leftovers from breakfast, with an energy drink. Freed did all the cooking, but he got up way too early. Evergreen was next, and Bickslow got up in the afternoon, thanks to all his partying. He ate, drank, put on his visor and left. People gave him weird looks, but they were weirder when he wasn't wearing a visor. You see, his eyes were a special color. They were a very sharp green with a hint of red. On his nose was a stickman tattoo, which he liked, but never chose to get. It was just there, and that is all there is to it. Having blue hair didn't make stuff easier. People always got frightened of him, so he decided to wear a visor. Simple as that.

Since it was afternoon, he decided to go and grab some lunch. He settled for some burgers. He entered the McDonalds and walked up to the counter. The employee turned around and asked for his order. Ordering a burger and a milkshake, he suddenly recognized the employee. "Hey, aren't you Elfman's little sis? Wait, what's your name again? Ehm, Lizzie?" The white-haired girl looked at him, but didn't recognize him. "Lisanna. Sorry, but I don't recognize you. Especially when you're wearing that silly visor." She giggled. He grinned. "I'm Bickslow."

"Bickslow? Wait, aren't you that guy that wears the hoodie and always disrupts the class?"

"That's me." He smirked, hearing about his reputation and wagged his tongue out. "Wow, that's one long tongue." She noted, staring at it. Usually when he put his tongue out of his mouth in front of girls, they all screamed and ran away. Not this one. She was different. "Well, it was nice talking to you. Here's your food." She said and handed him the burger and milkshake. "Thanks, Liz."

"Liz?"

"See ya around!" He yelled before leaving and throwing his tongue out in the process. She just smiled and attended to the next customer. As he was leaving, Bickslow had the feeling he might be coming back here soon.

Freed was jogging. His morning routine was a little longer and more complex than Bickslow's. That was one of the reasons he was stronger. He was listening to classic music while running and picked up the pace. He had only one inspiration. Laxus. Laxus was their leader, fearless, powerful and unbeatable. He had made Freed his assistant since the green-haired man looked up to him so much. But being his assistant and classmate wasn't enough. He barely knew anything about him. For starters, Laxus used to be a bully, but when he got expelled, all of it changed. He used to be aggressive, beating up people without a reason. When Gajeel joined, he beat him up, claiming Gajeel was mean to some students in the past. But after his return, something happened to him. He became quiet. He started this group. He only answered when asked to. His grandfather, the headmaster, had expelled him. Everyone insisted on his return, but it was the old man Gildarts that convinced the principal. After a long time, Laxus returned. Freed kept pondering about it. But one thing was for certain. Freed looked up to him. The green-haired man arrived back at the building he was sharing with Bickslow and Evergreen. He turned his music off, and headed into his room. He showered, changed into regular clothes, and left for the base.

Laxus was already at the base. He was there most of the time, actually. When Laxus was training harshly in his grey tank top and sweatpants, he heard someone enter. He stopped his training and went to greet the arriver. Nobody was usually this early. He grabbed a towel and dried off most of the sweat. To his surprise, the man was Rogue. "Rogue. What's up? Never seen you this early."

"I need to talk to you."

Laxus looked surprised, but then motioned for his black-haired friend to follow. Rogue did what Laxus asked. He followed Laxus as he cleaned up the materials. Most of the materials were ones Rogue had never seen. He was amazed at how many different varieties of training Laxus attended to. "You needed to speak?" Laxus asked, snapping out of his daze while moving away a boxing ball. "To be precise, I need information. Information about a certain girl."

"You falling in love? Never thought I'd see the day."

"You know that's not it. Laxus, listen. Yesterday, while walking home, I heard a few noises. I went to check it out, and she was surrounded by goons. She cut through them like scissors do with paper."

"Really? I'd like to see that myself."

"Look, I just want to know who she is. If she's an enemy, she could be dangerous."

"Right. Rogue, we can handle what comes our way. Anyway, describe the girl. I'll call up Freed and ask if he can find something out."

"Black hair, white clothes."

"You're just like your brother, you know that? Be specific."

"She had a white headband, black hair, brown/yellow eyes, white clothes and black tights."

"Good. Don't worry about it, I'll check it out." Laxus answered while turning on the TV. What both of them saw shocked them. They ran as fast as they could. Rogue out of the building, and Laxus to the phone, yelling after him. "ROGUE!"

Sting was doing his daily exercise, but making it a little tougher, like Gajeel advised. He could take much more now. After his morning routine, he showered and changed into a simple black T-Shirt and a pair of simple jeans. Suddenly the phone rang, and the blonde went to pick it up. "'Ello?" He asked.

"S-Sting!"

"Yukino? Is that you? What's wrong?"

"S-Sting! Where are you?!"

"Home, why?"

"You've got to get out of there, now!"

"What? Why? Yukino, what's wrong?"

"Sting, just get out of there!" She shrieked.

Sting was confused. What was so urgent? The answer came to him in the form of a lot of sound. He heard a lot of sirens, then a voice through a megaphone. "STING EUCLIFFE. COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR, YOU HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED." Fuck.

**I'm sorry it took longer than I expected. I've been writing it for a couple of days now. But since its weekend, I'll have another update by Sunday! I hope. Maybe even tomorrow… **

**Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed. Who do you think Cana was talking about? Sorry for the Bacchana fans reading this. I just think Bacchus and Cana make excellent buddies, just not lovers. Cana is one of my favorite female characters, anyway. By the way, Sting's been busted. How? You'll find out next chapter! Okay, I also know this is the second chapter without a shadow game being played. I just thought fixing on their personal lives for a little while would be good. You know, their daily routine if there was no target on the list. **

**Anyway, I almost forgot, I decided to post a fact about me anyway. **

**So, fact of the day: I'm a dude.**

**See ya!**

**-Sirev**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**It did take a little longer than I thought. Every time I wanted to start, there just wasn't enough time. Anyway, I really hope everyone is enjoying this.**

**Special thanks to **_**Conflicting Chaos **_**for reviewing!**

**Enjoy!**

**-(^_^)-**

Damn. Now he was surrounded by cops. He remembered the promise which all of them made.

"_We are not justice. We move by our own will, and crush our enemies. But if you get caught, you're on your own."_

That was the case. He got caught. He was on his own now. They wouldn't come. So he ran to the emergency exit he had in his house, and after running on a certain amount of stairs, he reached the roof. Good, there weren't many. He looked down and saw a couple of cars surrounding the building. To his left was another building, slightly higher. And it wasn't exactly close either. But the blond had no choice. He faced his escape, took a couple of steps backwards, and then broke into a run. He ran until he reached the edge of the building and set off with his left foot. At the same time, he thrust his right knee upwards to go higher. He landed on his feet and continued to run. He ran until he reached the edge of the new building, and dropped himself on the lower half of the building. When he hit the ground below him, he made a somersault to break his fall from the drop. From there he made a jump towards the ground and broke into a run again. The most important thing was getting out of here. Where he'd stay, would come after that. He ran through the city, using small alleys and all sorts of places to avoid the police. When he turned and ran into one of the dark alleys, he saw a policeman having a smoke. Sting turned around immediately and started walking into the other direction. "Oi, hold up there, you!" Sting kept walking. "You, the blond-!" The police officer got cut off. Sting turned around to face his black-haired brother, closing the eyes of the police officer. "Let's go." Rogue muttered. Both of them ran. The Twin Dragons is what they were called within their group. Both were actually not related, but they were closer than brothers. "Am I glad to see you!"

"I couldn't just leave my brother there, could I?"

"I owe you one!"

Then Rogue pulled out his cellphone and attended the call. "Yeah, I got him. We're on our way."

Both ran, and after a while arrived back at the base. They entered, to find everyone already there. Laxus stood in front of everyone in the main room. Sting was about to speak, but he was cut off by Laxus hand. "Sting. We've been through a lot together. You mean too much to this group. We can't let you go. We are all brothers. We seek the same. Therefore it has been decided that you and Rogue will stay here."

Said brothers were speechless. Everyone else, apart from Laxus and Freed burst into cheers.

"H-Hello?" The speakers around them spoke up. The voice was of a girl. "H-Hello? Is someone there?"

Everyone looked surprised at each other. "Freed." Laxus ordered. Said man ran to the computer and started typing at an incredibly fast pace. "It says Jellal."

Laxus gave a nod, and spoke up. "State your name."

"M-Meredy… Meredy Milkovich."

"Why have you called, and how did you get Jellal's phone?"

"I'm part of Crime Sorcière. We are under attack by the Oracion Seis and other gangs! Jellal sent me away and told me to call here with his phone!"

"We're coming." Laxus answered and hung up. He turned to face his group. "What the fuck are you waiting for?!"

That did the trick, as everyone started storming to the garage. "Freed, transmit the location to everyone's vehicles." The green-haired man nodded and started typing. Laxus himself followed everyone into the garage, and sat down on a bike which was decorated with thunder. He started the engine, and led everyone out of the huge garage.

-(^_^)-

Meanwhile Cobra and Jellal stood back to back, facing the Oracion Seis and the gangs under their control.

As soon as Cobra had told them that they were coming, Jellal had sent Meredy off with Richard (Hot Eye) as her protection and told her to call the base. And now Jellal and Cobra were surrounded by low gangs like Naked Mummy, Black Unicorn, Red Hood and Eisenwald. A loud chuckle was heard, and everyone parted to let through a man with white, shoulder length hair and red eyes, wearing green clothes. "Zero…" Jellal muttered.

"You two will be destroyed. Destruction will befall the world!" He yelled, jumping on top of a large rock. "Attack!"

Cobra and Jellal gave each other a quick nod before dashing at the enemy.

Jellal used his speed to run towards Red Hood and jumped up high into the air. He planted his foot into the face of the first hooded man in front of him, and used his face to set off towards the right side, his fist colliding with a different man's jaw. He span around by kicking the man behind him that had wanted to stab him. The man fell to the ground as Jellal prepared himself to take on all the others.

Cobra had meanwhile managed to successfully bring down two members of the Black Unicorn gang. A third charged at him, swinging with his stick. Cobra heard the movement and sidestepped him easily, while jumping up and kicking him in the back. His hands were still in his pockets. "I can hear it all," He muttered. "I can hear it all, so bring it on!" He yelled, his eyes widening. One eye wider than the other, he switched to the offensive. His hands left his warm pockets, and got in a fighting stance. Three men charged his front, while two charged his rear. Cobra used his acute hearing to fight all five. He dodged the first few strokes from the first man that reached him, grabbed his arm, swung him around and threw him into one of the men behind him. He moved towards the two standing in front of him, and drove his fist into the first opponent's stomach, while jumping up and kicking the other in the face. He ducked when another enemy struck at him and jumped up again, thrusting his knee into the man's chin.

Jellal wasn't slacking off either. He brought his enemies down quickly, but that changed when Racer joined the fray. Said man was so fast, Jellal didn't notice him at first. Just when Jellal dodged Racer's kick, he got slashed at the arm by a knife. "Damn!" He roared. He sent his elbow flying into Racer's face, faster than he had anticipated, then took care of the man that had slashed his arm by making his fist collide with the man's nose. As soon as that was taken care of, Jellal got struck in the back. Meanwhile, Racer got up, and kicked Jellal to the ground. Jellal fell, but got up immediately after. He couldn't go out. Not here. Not yet. Not now. He readied himself, panting, and charged again.

Things weren't looking well for Cobra now either. While Cobra drove his foot into the stomach of one of his enemies, he was kicked off his feet by a certain white-haired woman. Then Cobra felt pain of a great deal when he was struck by many sticks. He managed to grab one of the many sticks, swung it at one of the other men, sending its former owner flying into the man. These Unicorn dudes sure were skinny. He used the stick to defend himself while getting up, then thrust it at his former comrade, Angel. Said woman dodged the flying stick, while Cobra disarmed another man, swung the stick into the disarmed foe's stomach, and then thrust it at Angel again. Angel just chuckled and dodged every flying stick thrown at her, but then Cobra picked up the pace. Now he just disarmed and threw, and afterwards took the men out. Angel found it increasingly harder to dodge the flying sticks, until she was struck and sent flying to the ground. She got up with a bruise on her cheek, while Cobra was covered in bruises. Cobra, now breathing heavily, smirked. "We took the liberty of grabbing her before coming here, you know." She smiled evilly. "She is in our possession. So I suggest you don't fight back if you ever wanna see her again." Cobra's mind started racing. Could it be? Had they captured the only important person in his life? It couldn't be true, could it? "Don't fuck with me, Angel! I'll have your fuckin' head!"

"She has a really nice scream, you know." Angel smirked devilishly.

"What have you done to her?! What have you done to her, you ugly piece of shit?!"

Angel clacked her tongue and swayed her finger in front of him. "If you keep that up, you won't ever see her again."

Cobra whispered, barely audible, before he got knocked to the ground by a stick: "Kinana…"

Jellal was still fighting Racer and Red Hood, covered in cuts and bruises. "COBRAAA! Get up! We'll rescue her! Come on, don't let them get in your head-!" was what he roared to the maroon-haired man whom he considered his friend, but his voice got cut off by Racer sending a punch flying into his stomach.

Cobra felt like he lost all hope he had of living a new life. Kinana had offered him that. No. he wasn't just going to let this slide. No. It was time to get up. And that was what he did. Jellal was right. "Still fighting back, are we? Or are you ready to surrender?"

Cobra moved at such a speed that it looked like he vanished, before his fist collided with Angel's abdomen. "You won't lay a fucking finger on her, you understand? Not one lousy, fucking finger!" Angel passed out, and Cobra was smashed by yet another stick, sent flying backwards. He got up, and felt something press against his back. He was back to back with Jellal again. Jellal was clutching his heavily bleeding arm, but managed a smile at Cobra. Cobra responded with a smirk of his own. "You know, you're not bad, Jellal."

"I could say the same about you, Cobra." Both men glanced over to Zero and his son on the huge boulder, who were chuckling. "You two weaklings can't hope to bring them all down, can ye? You're barely standing as it is!" Both were laughing. Cobra's blood was boiling, and so was Jellal's. Then he remembered. What about the backup? Was Meredy caught? His train of thought was interrupted by Cobra's sudden laughter. "It's you guys who're gonna pay, you morons."

"What do you mean?! You're outnumbered and surrounded! You have no hope left!"

"Can't you hear it? Well, I can." Cobra widened his smirk, before easily dodging Racer's kick. "I can hear it loud and clear." He kicked Racer's feet from underneath him, sending Racer to the ground. "You're all goners."

"Shut up, Cobra!" Midnight yelled. But it was Midnight who got shut up by a fist. Midnight was sent flying off of the boulder, while the attacker landed next to him. "You picked a fight with the wrong family." He looked up. A muscular guy, with a red vest over a grey shirt, wearing jeans, with flaming eyes and spiky, pink-colored hair. "Why, you…! Get him!" Zero roared. But before a Red Hood member could reach him, he was sent flying by a punch from of a different person. This one was shirtless, wearing black jeans paired with brown shoes, had a chain hanging from his pockets, and was wearing a bracelet and a necklace. He had raven-colored hair, and black, cool eyes. "You guys don't learn, do ya?" Now the Red Hood members focused on both of them and went into the attack, together with the Black Unicorn. But the nearest members were sent flying away by a man with black hair tied in a knot, his arms spread out like a falcon. He had one eye wide open, while the other was squinting and he reeked of booze. Next to him, stood a huge, buffed-up male with wild, white hair. "We're real men!" Now a Naked Mummy member charged them with a shotgun in his hands, but was soon sent flying by yet another kick. "What the fuck now?!" Zero roared, getting frustrated. The answer came in the shape of a white-haired man, also shirtless, with green jeans, who was smirking. "Well, well. Look who we have here. Zero, Grand Master of the infamous Oracion Seis." Now the leftover Red Hood members charged with the remaining Black Unicorn members, but they failed too, as two counterparts made an entrance, blowing them away. A blond and a black-haired man, standing back to back. Now, a handful of members remained. They didn't even charge this time, but were wiped out by some flying iron pipes. A man landed, holding one in his hand. He had black, long, wild hair and red pupils. He had piercings all over his face, and was wearing a black shirt and grey jeans, with a beige-colored jacket. He had scars on his arms, and looked like he could kill right about anyone. "HOW MANY OF YOU ARE THERE?!" Zero yelled. Naked Mummy started shooting like crazy, smoke appearing everywhere. When they stopped firing, they saw two men standing in front of a huge truck filled with holes. "I told you it was a good idea to bring the truck!" One of them yelled, wagging his tongue out. "Whatever…, but why the smoke?" The other retorted, moving some green hair out of his face. "For the effect!" Zero's blood started to boil. Were these fools taking him lightly? He pulled out his own gun and fired at the gas tank. His bullet was blocked, however, by the green-haired man's sword. One man stood atop of the truck. A spiky-haired blond, with a scar over his right eye, wearing a black tank top, red jeans and a jacket around his shoulders. "I don't know how the fuck you're back, but you'll pay for hurting my comrades." His voice growled threateningly.

**And? How was it? I'm sorry if ya didn't like the entrances of everyone. Anyway, there are gonna be some new members! Find out next chapter! Please review! Follow or favorite is also appreciated!**

**See ya!**

**-Sirev**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Here I am, once again! So I decided a fact about will be posted every 2 chapters instead of one. So anyway, thanks for reading! (Anyone who is reading this).**

**Special thanks to **_**Conflicting Chaos **_**for reviewing! You really motivated me to go on!**

**Enjoy!**

**-(^_^)-**

Laxus stood on top of the truck with his arms folded across his chest. "Natsu, Gray. Take care of Midnight. Bacchus, Racer is all yours. Angel goes to Lyon. Everyone else, take care of the remaining scumbags. Freed and Bickslow, you guys take Cobra, Jellal, Meredy and Hot Eye to the base. I'll take Zero."

"Come on, man! Let us have some fun too!" Bickslow protested, but was fully ignored by Laxus. At that moment, everyone that was watching could feel the lightning around Laxus. "Now!" He roared, thunder clear in his voice. Everyone following him roared with such a ferocity, that all their opponents started cowering.

-(^_^)-

Midnight got up and wiped some blood from his mouth. He glared at Natsu and Gray. "Gray, back off. I can take him." Natsu said stepping forward.

"We gotta do this together, flame-brain." Gray replied

"I can easily take him by myself. You go with Freed and Bickslow."

"No way that you're having all the fun. Why don't you go with them?"

"Just listen to me, slanted eyes!"

"No way, droopy eyes!"

"What'd you call me?! You want a piece o'me?!"

"Bring it, knuckle head!"

Midnight was glaring daggers at both of them. He launched himself towards Natsu and tried to punch him. Natsu, however, ducked and sent his own punch flying into the dark-haired man's stomach. "See? I can do this by myself. And I've got a bad feeling about the others. Just go with them."

Gray sighed, and gave in. Say what you want about Natsu, but his intuition was mostly right. "Fine." Gray muttered and left after Freed and Bickslow.

Midnight, meanwhile, was acting. He tried to lure Natsu into a false sense of security before taking him down. A smirk found its way on Midnight's face as he pulled a blade from his pocket….

-(^_^)-

Richard rushed to Jellal, picked him up and headed back to the truck. When he was done putting him in the back, Meredy noted the absence of a particular someone. "Wait, where's Cobra?"

-(^_^)-

Cobra, meanwhile was running through the forest, covered in bruises and cloaked by pain. He coughed up some blood, but he didn't stop. He had to get to the hideout of the Oracion Seis. He had to rescue his first friend. He just simply had to. She was too important to him. He couldn't describe what he felt for her. It could've been friendship, love, worry, whatever. He didn't care right now. He just had to save her. The first day he met her still lingered in his mind.

_Cobra, a tiny kid, was just leaving school. He went to the orphanage. As soon as he reached his room, he climbed out of the window and ran into the forest. He always ran away from the orphanage, he hated it. He ran deep into the forest, like usual. When he was all tired out, he stopped and sat down beside a huge rock. He faced the sky, then closed his eyes for a brief nap. _

He ran, picking up his speed. He had to make it before something happened.

_After a while, he heard a couple of footsteps. These didn't sound like the footsteps of one of the people from the orphanage. They were much lighter. Cobra could tell with his sharp hearing. "Ehm…" A girl's shaky voice started. Cobra opened his eyes, only to find himself face to face with a purple-haired girl, wearing a green dress. "I-I'm lost…" she muttered, looking away. She sure was shy. "So? What do you want me to do about it, huh?" He had asked. He had to admit, she looked like a nice person, but Cobra wasn't the friendly type. He was the poisonous type. "C-Could you tell me where I am?"_

"_Isn't it obvious? You're in a forest."_

"_Wait, I think I recognize you…" The girl muttered, ignoring his sarcastic statement. "You're that kid from school!" Great. _

"_So what?"_

"_What's your name?" she asked with a smile, not minding his rude behaviour. He scowled, and turned his gaze away._

_ "Why should I tell you?" _

Did he even know where he was going? In a way. He could use his sharp hearing to find the way to the highway. He could find his way to the hideout from there. He stopped and closed his eyes, concentrating. No time to lose.

-(^_^)-

Gray met Freed, Bickslow, Hot Eye, Meredy and Jellal at the back of the truck, all with worried faces. Meredy was giving Jellal the support to stay standing. "I can't leave him. I have to go." Jellal said.

"But Jellal, you're wounded! We need to get you to a hospital!" Meredy protested.

"What happened?" Gray asked, approaching the group. "Why aren't you guys leaving?"

"Cobra. He left all lone towards the hideout of the Oracion Seis to go and rescue Kinana." Freed answered.

"Kinana? From school?"

"He won't make it by himself! I have to go and bring him back!" Jellal started again.

"I'll go." Gray volunteered. "Freed, Bickslow, can you guys take care of Jellal?"

"Leave it to us." Freed answered. "Good luck."

Gray gave a nod and left. He ran as fast as he could to catch up with Cobra.

As Gray was still looking for him, he found some blood on the ground. "Must be close…" he muttered to himself before he continued running.

-(^_^)-

"MAN!" Elfman roared, grabbing one of his foes and hurling him towards another.

Gajeel wasn't too far away from him, and grabbed the fist thrown at him by an Eisenwald member. He sent his knee to collide with the man's stomach. The man sunk to his knees, and the pierced, black-haired man jumped up to finish it with a spin kick. He spun around to block a stick by crossing his arms in front of him. The stick snapped in two, and Gajeel grabbed his opponent and head-butted him out of consciousness.

Bacchus sent an open palm to the chest of Racer, who rushed at him. Racer was sent back, but rushed him again, faster than before. Bacchus wasn't exactly slow, either. He could see Racer as clear as he saw anybody. He sidestepped Racer's tackle, then pulled out his bottle. He drank some wine, and started stumbling. Racer rushed him again, faster than ever. At the last moment, Bacchus leapt into the air and kicked Racer in the back of his head.

Lyon dodged the punch thrown at him, ducked, and gave a sharp uppercut to his opponent. He proceeded by giving a full round-house kick to her leg, sending the white-haired girl to the ground.

-(^_^)-

"_I'm Kinana. Nice to meet you!" she smiled again. It seemed to lighten up his mood a little. "Erik." He murmured. She heard him, however. "Nice to meet you, Erik!" _

"_You already said that." He pointed out._

"_Yeah, 'cause it's nice meeting you!" No one he met had been so cheery around him before. "So, think you can show me where to go?" She seemed to be way more relaxed now. _

"_I guess." The words had left his mouth before he realized it. _

"_Thanks!" She smiled. He got up, and started walking out of the forest. _

"_So, what do you like to do, Erik?" she asked, trying to break the silence by a conversation._

_The brown-haired kid simply shrugged. He didn't like to do much. _

"_What's your favorite color?" She asked. He was about to say purple, but decided to stay silent when he remembered that was the color of her hair. _

"_What is your favorite animal?" she gave it one last try._

"_A snake."_

_Kinana, glad she got an answer out of him, pressed on._

"_Really? I like snakes too! I admire their sharp hearing and silence!" she said with sparkling eyes. _

_Cobra nodded in agreement. He liked that about them too. _

"_What would you call your snake if you had one?"_

"_Cubellios." He answered without hesitation. He had always wanted to call a snake that, if he had one. _

Cobra heard the faint sound of a motors running. Good, he couldn't be too far. He started running again. He wasn't too fast because of his wounds, but he was still moving at a steady pace.

"_Cubellios, huh? I know! Why don't we play a game! I'll be your snake, Cubellios! You can be my owner!" She sounded excited at the thought of a game. Cobra caught himself smiling, but shrugged it off and answered with a "Whatever…"_

"_I saw that, Erik! You were smiling!"_

Cobra pushed his legs and lungs as far as he could. He wasn't about to give up anytime soon.

"_Wasn't…" Cobra murmured his protest._

_She just giggled and continued to walk next to him. Cobra could feel his face heat up. What was it with this girl? _

_They reached the end of the forest, and made it into town again. _

"_Thank you again, Erik!" She said, and smiled brightly at him. Just when his face was cooling down, it started heating up again. She giggled again. "Hey, Erik? Will we meet again?"_

_Cobra stayed silent for a while. Of course he wanted to meet her, she seemed nice. So he answered with a short "Sure…"_

_Her face lit up. He felt glad. He smiled. "There, there! You see, you're smiling again!" She pointed out. Cobra realized, and quickly forced himself to stop. What was wrong with him? He never smiled! _

He heard footsteps approaching him from behind. They were faster than him. Could it be another enemy? "Oi, poison-breath! Wait up!" Cobra recognized the voice and turned around. "What the hell are you doing here, Gray?!"

"Well, I'm here to take you back, you dumbass! You can't just leave with wounds like those!"

"What the fuck are you gonna do about it, huh?" Cobra challenged him. He'd rather get dragged back than go of his own free will.

"Fine. I'll come with you then."

"What?!" To say Cobra was surprised would be the least. "Why?"

"Cause you're one of us, and need help. You won't make it there with those wounds. And if you rather have me drag you back, you can say that too."

Cobra weighed out his options. He didn't want anyone to find out about Kinana. But, it seemed like he didn't have a choice. "Fine." Cobra answered. The both of them continued running.

"_Hey, Erik?" she asked one day. They'd been meeting each other every single day at the forest on the same spot. Right now they were lying down on the grass, facing the sky. _

"_Hm?" he asked._

"_We're best friends, right?" Cobra was surprised by the question. He hadn't thought about that. If that was true, she would've been his first friend._

"_I guess." He answered, kind of confused._

They reached the end of the forest, only to be met by a road. "We need a vehicle to get there." Cobra said. And at that exact moment, his ears picked up the sound of a bike, coming closer. He walked over to the road and stood right in the middle. When the biker came and saw Cobra in the middle of the road, he hit the brakes and stopped just in front of him. "Are you crazy?! You could have died!" The man yelled angrily. Gray got behind the biker and threw him off of the vehicle. "We'll be borrowing this." He stated, before jumping on the bike. Cobra took his seat behind him and off they went.

"_Really?!" She asked, her face lit up._

"_Sure." Cobra answered. Then it happened. She hugged him. He was startled. His eyes widened. "Thanks…" She whispered. And at that precise moment, explosions were heard. It was the slavers. They'd come for them. "Oi! I found two brats here in the forest!" One of them yelled. "You're coming with us!"_

_Cobra connected the dots. He had heard about slavers destroying nearby towns, and kidnapping children. _"_Like hell we are! Cubellios, get behind me!" Cobra shouted. Ever since the day he met her, he had started calling her that, quickly becoming used to it. He launched himself at the man, and punched him in the stomach. The man, barely harmed, was definitely surprised. They were specially trained to kill adults and capture children, what could this kid possibly do? Cobra growled, but didn't give up. He grabbed a stone from the ground and hurled it at the man's face. The man grabbed his face in sheer pain and started yelling. "You fuckin' brat! I'll get ya for that!" But when he moved his hands away from his face to look at the spot where the two had been, they were gone. _

"Faster... Gray...! We... have to... make it... !" Cobra tried his best to speak. His coat was flapping in the wind behind him crazily.

"We will!" Gray shouted back, picking up the speed. Cobra did his best now to throw up then and there.

_He held her hand in his and ran. He ran as fast as he could through the forest, dragging her with him. "Come on, Cubellios! They'll catch us at this rate!" _

"_But… I'm tired…" She spoke between breaths. That was when another man appeared in front of them and smashed Cobra's head with a stick. "Damn brats!" He yelled. Cobra had fallen to the ground, blood trickling down his face. He got up, nonetheless. "Cubellios, run. I'll hold him off." _

"_What?! I'm not leaving you here!"_

"_Just go!" He launched himself at the other man and started punching his face, then scratched wildly at his eyes, seeing his punches had no effect. The man grabbed his eyes and started cursing wildly. Cobra landed on the ground, grabbed the purple-haired girl's hand and stormed off again. They reached the orphanage, only to find it blown up. Bodies of the adults were everywhere. Children were screaming and dragged along. "Well, lookie here. Two more brats to add to the collection." Cobra growled angrily at the men. But now they were surrounded. That didn't stop him from fighting, however. They easily beat him up with their numbers, and got both of them. _

Cobra growled, trying his best to stay conscious. He'd have their heads. He remembered his promise to her.

"_Don't worry, Cubellios. I'm here, aren't I?" He said as he was sitting in his cell with her. "I know, but I'm scared, Erik…" _

"_It's okay." He whispered, softly and reassuringly. "I'll always protect you. I promise."_

He also remembered when he first met the members of the Oracion Seis.

"_Here, put them with these two." One of the slavers said. Two kids were thrown into the cell. One of them started crying. The other tried to get him to calm down. "Ssh, it's okay Wally." And hugged his youunger sibling. Wally went silent after a small while. "Thanks, Richard."_

_Now one of the slavers came walking in. "Yeah, take the girl and the black-haired boy, and put them with the boy and girl from Rosemary Village."_

_Cobra now got up and growled viciously. "You won't take her!" _

_The orange-haired boy stood beside him. "Yeah, you can't take my brother!"_

_The man chuckled and called the guards. "Grab 'em." _

_Cobra and Hot Eye fought as hard as they could, managing to take down two guards, but to no avail. Kinana and Wally got taken away. Richard and Erik now faced a beating. A little while later, there were a few other kids thrown in. One black-haired kid with strands of white hair, trying to sleep. A white-haired girl, staring outside. A kid with flat, black hair and a long nose, with yellow eyebrows. _

_Erik and Richard looked at one another. The girl seemed to snap out of her daze and walked over to the two. "Hi, I'm Solano. Nice to meet you." _

"_I'm Richard, and this is Erik."_

_Now the boy with the long nose joined the talk the conversation. "I'm Sawyer. The kid trying to sleep over there is Macbeth."_

_Cobra grunted a "Hello". Macbeth got up and walked over to them. "I can't sleep. There's too much noise…" he murmured. "I swear, I'm gonna get everyone who disturbs me." _

_After that, they made a pact. They would kill these guys for all the harm they did, and they would find a way to have their prayers answered. _

"_We can't get caught. So I suggest we make nicknames, and tell no one our real ones. I'll be Midnight." Macbeth said. He held his hand out, palm down. Richard hesitated, then put his hand on top of his. "I'll be Hot Eye." Now Sawyer joined. "I'll be Racer." He said. Solano put her hand on the collection. "Angel." Now everyone was looking expectantly at Erik. He sighed and placed his hand on top of theirs. "Cobra."_

"_Then it's settled. From now on, these are our names. We will work together and bring down our enemies." _

Damn it all! How could they betray him like that? His anger grew by every passing second. After the revolution, he lost track of Kinana. He and his comrades joined the gang called the Oracion Seis under the leadership of Zero, Midnight's father. He became a known criminal. Then, when Jellal got them and asked them to join his movement, they had no choice but to accept.

"_Erik. A word, please."_

"_What do you want, Jellal?" The blue-haired man led Cobra into his tent and sat down. Cobra sat down opposite of him. "What is it?"_

"_Richard told me about a girl that was with you, when you were thrown into the cell. Remember the Tower of Heaven?" They found out later that that was what the place was called._

"_What about it?" Cobra asked. He didn't like the memory. _

"_I have my contacts. A friend of mine said she was from Rosemary Village. Does that ring a bell?" Cobra thought long and hard, then remembered that that was where they threw Kinana. His eyes widened._

"_She goes to Fairy Tail, the high school. But I can't just let you go there. First I must be convinced that you won't do any harm."_

_Cobra just stared wide-eyed. After the revolt there, everyone fled. He hadn't seen Kinana since. He'd tried his best to find her, but to no avail. Every time he got close to finding her, he hesitated. She wouldn't remember him, would she? _

_Jellal continued. "You want to see her again, don't you?" Cobra just stared at him, then gave a slow nod. "You have something to fight for, Erik. You fight for her, am I right? Hoping one day you can find her?" Cobra was slowly recovering from his shock, but his pride didn't allow him to say anything. "I'll take that as a yes. I trust you, Erik." Jellal got up and left the tent, leaving a dazed Cobra. _

"We're here! Hold on!" Gray yelled. Cobra did what he said. Gray went even faster, heading straight for the gate. "Get ready to jump!" Gray and Cobra slowly stood on top of the bike, and right when it was about to smash into the gate, they used it to jump right over it. They both landed on the other side, an alarm going off. Tons of guards rushed out of the building, heading for the two.

_Cobra went to Magnolia as fast as possible after that. He left the train, stumbling, about to throw up. After a few minutes he regained his composure, and stood up straight, lowering his hood even further. He started his walk towards the high school. It was on the other side of town. He made it without a problem and glanced up at the building. It was one of the largest in town. There were so many people everywhere, he couldn't believe it. It was gonna be hard to find Kinana here. Maybe the girl Jellal was talking about could help. Where to start? Should he ask help? He didn't even know why he came here in the first place. She probably forgot all about him. "Cubellios, where are you?" he whispered to himself. _

"_Excuse me? Are you new here?" Cobra turned around to face a girl with long, white hair. Cobra, having his face half shielded by the hood gave a simple nod. A huge guy with white hair as well joined their conversation. "Nee-Chan, are you coming or what?" Then he noticed Cobra's presence. "Oi, who are you?"_

_The white-haired girl just smiled. "Elfman, I was just asking him if he was new."_

_It didn't take a genius to figure out they were siblings. Then a girl with short white hair came along. Probably also their sibling. "Mira-nee, Elf-nii-chan, what's taking you so long? We have to get to class." _

"You go ahead, I'll take care of these guys." Gray told him.

"What? What the hell for?" Cobra spoke, still trying to recover from his previous stunt. Motion sickness was a pain the ass.

"We don't know how many there are, so it might take a while. I'll hold them off until you get Kinana."

Cobra nodded and ran off towards the inside of the building, going through guards with Gray close behind. When they reached the door, Cobra ran inside while Gray started busting the guards up. They trained like hell for a reason.

"_Do you know where to go?" Mirajane asked._

_Cobra responded with a shake of his head. "Actually, I am looking for someone." He said with a fake Australian accent. _

"_Well, why don't you come with us? You might find them. But Mira-nee is in a different class than me and Elf-nii-chan." The short-haired girl said. _

"_Good idea, Lisanna! So, who do you want to go with?" The eldest asked. Cobra was surprised. He'd never met people that were so friendly or helpful before. Apart from Kinana, that is. Yeah, she definitely belonged here._

Cobra ran through the halls of the large building. He knew it inside out. He ran to the basement, where people were held or tortured. Usually both.

-(^_^)-

Midnight struck. His blade slashed through Natsu's flesh, or so he thought. Only his vest was left. "Jellal told me about you, Midnight. You're supreme acting talents. Just like creating illusions, eh?"

"How did you…?!" Midnight was startled.

"I'm not a bad actor myself." Natsu replied, a huge grin on his face.

Midnight screamed and attacked with a barriage of slashes and stabs. Natsu started walking backwards, blocking his slashes and sidestepping his stabs. Midnight threw himself at Natsu, while striking down with the blade. The pink-haired man blocked his attack by crossing his arms above his head and blocking his attack at the wrist. Natsu used one arm to grab a hold of Midnight's wrist and twisted his arm in one painful movement. Midnight yelled, and Natsu sent a kick in the direction of Midnight's chest. Midnight was sent flying backwards and landed with a 'thud' on the ground.

-(^_^)-

"_Well, this is my class for chemistry." Mirajane said. She had offered to take Cobra with her, so he silently agreed. He sat down in the back of the class, trying not to be noticed. It worked. People acted like he wasn't there, or simply ignored him. The classes went by rather quickly. Break time. He went outside and sat down, leaning against a tree. She had to be here, she just had to. He sighed and closed his only working eye. He just stayed silent and unnoticed. _

_"Any luck yet?" Mirajane asked when they entered the last class. Cobra silently shook his head. He went to sit at the back of the class again, only the tables looked like kitchen counters. "This is my last and best class: cooking." Cobra just gave a brief nod, then headed to the counter at the back. He watched Mirajane sit down next to a green-haired guy, who smiled when he saw her. A guy he would later come to know as Freed Justine. Cobra didn't make much of it. The lesson started, and he stayed silent. He folded his arms on the table and buried his head within them._

At the door leading to the basement stood two Red Hood member. They were alert since the alarm had gone off. Blades in hand, they were glancing around. Cobra walked up to them and started his assault.

_The door opened, and a voice spoke. "I'm so sorry I'm late!" It said. Cobra's eyes widened and he raised his head slowly. _

When they saw Cobra, they looked shocked. That bought Cobra more than enough time to jump kick a blade out of the hands of one of the guards. They both recovered from their shock rather quickly, however, and the one still holding the knife slashed at him. Cobra was able to grab his wrist and disarm him with a simple movement. He caught the blade and knocked him out with the hilt of it. The other guard launched himself at Cobra, fist raised, but the maroon-haired man ducked, grabbed his attacker's arm, and flung him over his shoulder to the other side of the hall.

_She had a worried look on her face, but the teacher dismissed her. She was just like he remembered. Only taller, and more… woman-like. Her hair was short and purple, like he remembered, her green eyes looking lightly panicked. He had finally found her. His eye was still wide, and he could feel something stinging in his eyes. His vision was starting to blur. His heart was pounding in his chest. What was happening? He touched his cheeks, which were moist. As if she noticed his presence, she widened her eyes too and looked him directly in the eye. Did she recognize him? He just came here to see her again, but he wasn't so sure anymore. Was it a mistake?_

Cobra ran through the door and leaped off the set of stairs.

"_Kinana? Are you alright?" the teacher asked. She snapped out of her daze and nodded quickly. "Then go and sit down." She did as asked and settled down next to her first friend. Cobra just moved his sleeve over his face smoothly, wiping away the tears in on fluent movement. She stayed silent and did what she was asked during the class. Cobra's heart hammered in his chest. Cobra watched her every movement. Her scent was still the same. _

He moved as fast as he possibly could. He ran through the hall, all the cells were empty. Jellal had forced them to do that. But he kept up his pace. "KINANA!" He roared.

_Class ended. He left as soon as he could and was on his way to the train station. He took a path outside of the city, not wanting to run into her. "It's you, isn't it? Erik?" Cobra stopped dead in his tracks, his eye wide. Had she followed him? Her voice came from behind him. He just stayed silent, trying to figure out what to do. "After all this time... Please, let me just hear your voice again. Let me see your face again." She was coming closer. "Let me know it's really you. Please." She almost begged him. He felt his heart beat faster, his vision blurred again. He turned around to face her, lowering his hood._

"ERIK! Is that you?!" Came a voice from far away.

"I'm coming, Kinana!" He ran faster, picking up the pace. He went as fast as his legs could carry him. He burst through the door which she was in.

_He could see her fully now. Her purple hair. Her beautiful grayish green eyes, which were starting to well up with tears. Her green dress. Her body starting to shake more violently with each sob. She raised her hand and placed it on his cheek. Tears started to stream down hers. _

What he saw angered him beyond limits. Kinana was hung up by chains against the wall, blindfolded. The worst part was that her clothes were shredded. She had small scratches all over her body. Even a bruise, on her stomach. He walked over to her and broke her free from the chains. He removed her blindfold, and took off his white coat, throwing it over her shoulders. She held the material tightly against her body. He helped her walk by throwing an arm around her shoulders and keeping her close to him.

_Cobra looked away. "Your eye…" She whispered. She traced his scar with her thumb. "It's nothing. I just had a fight, is all." She couldn't take it anymore. She threw herself into his embrace, hugging him tightly. He hesitated, but then threw his arms around her in return. _

When they got outside, Gray was done, covered in some bruises, with minor cuts across his arms and all the guards lay on the ground. "What took you so long?" He asked mockingly. "I've called Freed and Bickslow and told them we made it. Know if there are any vehicles here somewhere?"

"Yeah, there's a garage to the east."

Kinana was confused. "G-Gray?"

"Oh, hey, Kinana."

"I'll explain it later." Cobra assured her. She just nodded silently.

_They spent the entire day together. Simply sitting on a grass field and talking. Cobra told her what had happened to him. How he became a member of the Oracion Seis, how they were thrown into jail, then escaped. Cobra getting the scar during their escape. Jellal finding them and beating them, asking them to join Crime Sorciere._

_She told him what had happened to her. She was thrown into jail with Erza Scarlet and her brown-haired friend. They were all very kind to her, and helped her out a lot. After they had escaped, she worked hard with Erza and joined Fairy Tail with her. There she met all the others. She took many jobs like being a waitress or bartender. _

"_Erik… You've got to make amends…" She told him. The maroon-haired man stayed silent. The purple-haired girl continued. "You can't live life like this. I can understand Jellal's idea. Why don't you just accept it?"_

"_Because," Cobra lay down, "I've lived my entire life like a criminal after I lost you." _

"_But you know in your heart what you're doing is wrong. You're better than this. Don't betray Jellal, please. If you accept it, we can be together."_

Cobra got in his car from when he was still with the Oracion Seis. Gray took the front seat next to him, and Kinana sat down in the back. Cobra started the car and sped off.

-(^_^)-

The Twin Dragons stood back to back, The White grinning, while The Shadow had an expressionless look on his face. Sting and Rogue took their fighting stances, and started. Sting caught a fist thrown at him and sent his own flying in the attacker's stomach. He gave a jump kick to his face and went on the offensive.

-(^_^)-

"Laxus Dreyar. Son of Ivan Dreyar. I know your father."

"And I don't give a shit."

Zero smirked. "You're a foolish boy for challenging me."

"Hmph. Are you gonna stand blabbin' there all day, or are we gonna fight?"

Zero's smirk faded. He leapt off of the boulder and raised his fist. Laxus threw his coat off and jumped to meet Zero's attack.

-(^_^)-

**Damn, that was a long chapter. I think. Did ya like it? Post a review and let me know! Follow to see what happens next, favorite to make me happy! Of course I'd be happier with a review. **

**So, I thought about posting a Kinobra (Kinana x Cobra) chapter. If that is what you call it. Well, next time, Laxus vs Zero!**

**Fact of the day: My hair's black colored. **

**See ya!**

**-Sirev**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Hey, guess what today is? Yep, my birthday! So anyway, here is another chapter! I've been editing the previous one. I just made some minor changes, don't worry. For example, I don't know how it's possible, but I forgot completely about Cobra's motion sickness from when he and Gray got on the bike. Things like that, and typos. There were a lot of typos…**

**Anyway, a special thanks to **_**Conflicting Chaos **_**for reviewing! **

**Another thanks to **_**ShadowyBlue **_**for following and favoring this story!**

**Enjoy!**

**-(^_^)-**

Both of their fists smashed against each other. They landed on the ground and immediately resumed their fight. The blonde threw punches at the white-haired man, while he dodged them. He countered with a kick to the blonde's chest, who staggered backwards. The scarred man cracked his knuckles and neck, getting into a proper fighting stance. His opponent got into a fighting stance as well, and both charged at each other. Laxus was the first to land a hit as he punched Zero in the stomach. Said man doubled over through the force of the impact. The blonde stopped for a split second, but that was more than enough for the white-haired man to jump up and head-butt his opponent. Laxus staggered back again, but Zero pressed his advantage. He continued to throw a barrage of punches and kicks. To his surprise, Laxus dodged them all with a simple smirk on his face.

"We haven't been sitting still, you know." He said simply, while dodging his opponent's punches and kicks. After a few moments, Laxus saw an opening in Zero's form and countered with a knee to the chin. "How?!" Zero exclaimed. This was turning out to be a one-sided battle, and it seemed like it was going to end soon too.

-(^_^)-

His son wasn't doing much better, however he was doing a lot better than his father. Midnight threw a punch to Natsu's stomach, who fell to his knees. Midnight didn't waste a second as he threw his leg at Natsu's head. Natsu fell to the ground on his back, but got up a lot quicker than anyone could have imagined. He threw a punch at Midnight's stomach, which said man caught and countered with a jab to the pink-haired man's side. Natsu grunted in pain, grabbing a hold of his side. Then it hit Midnight. Natsu hadn't made a simple move to stop Midnight from attacking. Natsu just stood still and took all the hits. "You haven't studied martial arts a lot, have you?"

"Wh-What?"

"Your form has way too many openings. For example:"

Midnight yelled and threw a punch at Natsu's face. Said man dodged it with ease, then sent his own punch flying into Midnight's stomach. The black-haired man's eyes widened, but he recovered quickly. He started attacking with a barrage of punches and kicks again, hoping to get a lucky hit. Natsu dodged most of the strokes, getting hit by a few, seemingly unaffected, then grabbed one of his opponent's fists, and used it to pull him closer. He proceeded by sending letting his knee crash into Midnight's stomach.

-(^_^)-

"You hurt my comrades, so how about I deal with you the traditional way?" Laxus said, standing in front of Zero with his arms crossed.

"The traditional way? What would that be?" Zero asked, a smirk on his face. He was enjoying the fight with Laxus, since he hadn't had a good challenge in a long while.

"By playing a game." Laxus answered simply.

"A game? You want to play a game?" Zero started laughing like a maniac.

"Not just a game. A shadow game. You'll be risking a whole lot more than getting beat up." Laxus retorted.

"Fine, I'll play your game!" Zero answered.

"Alright. The rules are simple. See that hill?" Laxus pointed to his right. "We're gonna fight on top of it. You can use whatever you want from your surroundings. Even that gun you're hiding. The first one to fall off of the platform loses. When you lose, you will be granted the chance to leave. If you don't agree, or break the rules, you die. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

Both men proceeded to get on top of the hill. Zero stripped his green shirt as soon as he got into his fighting stance. Laxus just took on his own fighting stance, and both men glared at each other. Then, as if magically a gun had shot into the air, the fight began. Zero threw a barrage of punches, then hit Laxus with a low-kick, hoping to end the fight immediately. Laxus saw through his plan like it was the simplest thing in the world. He dodged all of Zero's punches, then jumped over his low-kick, throwing one of his own while he was in the air. Zero staggered backwards, but didn't fall off of the hill as Laxus' foot collided with his chest. Laxus landed on the ground, and both men engaged in a fierce battle again. Laxus threw a fist, which Zero caught, but before he could make a move, the blonde let his forehead collide with the head of his opponent. Zero staggered backwards, releasing Laxus' fist in the process. Laxus jumped and threw his foot against Zero's chest, but Zero sidestepped him just in the nick of time. He countered with his own fist against the blonde's chest, which in turn caught his fist and let his own collide with Zero's jaw. Zero staggered backwards and spit out blood. "You damn brat….!" Zero launched himself at Laxus again, but he just simply grabbed Zero's arm and threw him over his shoulder, but with not enough force to throw him off of the hill. "I'm getting bored, old man." Laxus told him. Zero got up, enraged. He pulled out his gun and aimed at point-blank range.

-(^_^)-

Midnight staggered backwards, then smirked. "That was another trick. And you fell for it."

"What?" Natsu asked, raising his guard. Midnight rushed at Natsu, throwing a punch at his stomach. Natsu was punched, and fell to his knees. Midnight kicked him in the side of his head. Natsu got up, groaning in pain. He faced Midnight. "…Is that all?"

"Wh-What?" Midnight asked confusedly.

"I said, is that all?" Natsu repeated.

"Why you…!" He threw himself at Natsu, but Natsu dodged and threw a kick at his stomach. The hit landed, and now it was Midnight's turn to fall on his knees. Natsu grabbed Midnight's head and shoved his knee into Midnight's face at full force. Midnight fell to the ground, unconscious. This battle was won, but what about the rest of the war?

-(^_^)-

Zero smirked, then started laughing maniacally. 'I'm not breaking any rules, am I?" He asked, with mock fear in his voice.

"Nope, this is totally allowed." Laxus answered, then smiled coldly. Unknowing to Zero, Laxus had moved the tip of his shoe underneath a branch.

"Well then, say farewell!" Zero yelled. Just when he was about to pull the trigger, Laxus threw his foot into the air, throwing the branch upwards. Laxus himself ducked since Zero was distracted, and caught the branch when it was falling back down. Zero figured Laxus was trying something, so he aimed his gun and pulled the trigger. Laxus rolled to the side, however, not fast enough. He got shot in the arm. The blonde man ignored the sharp pain and the trickling of blood from his arm, and continued his plan, which was smashing the branch against Zero's stomach. Zero doubled over, but Laxus quickly proceeded his assault by sweeping Zero's feet from underneath him. Zero landed with a 'thud' on the ground, but Laxus wasn't done yet. He got up and kicked Zero, sending him rolling off of the hill. "You lose, old man." He said simply.

-(^_^)-

Bacchus and Racer were both exhausted from their fight. "Alright, time to end this." Bacchus said, as he grabbed his bottle and emptied the content, sending the liquid slipping down his throat. He gained a wicked look in his eyes as he finished his bottle, and stared with one eye opened wider than the other. He grinned wickedly, and in an instant, was suddenly behind Racer with his arms raised like a falcon. Racer turned around slowly, then fell to the ground in pain.

-(^_^)-

Lyon moved his head around, dodging Angel's punches. He gave a charming smile. "You know, you could just give up." He told her. "You won't be harmed."

"No! I'm not giving up!" Angel screamed.

"Fine by me." Lyon answered coolly, before grabbing Angel's wrist and kicking her off her feet. "Look around you, sweetheart. All your buddies have been beaten." Lyon said as he held her wrist in his hand. She did as he suggested. When she looked around, she saw Racer clutching his chest at Bacchus feet, Natsu breathing heavily, standing next to an unconscious Midnight, while Laxus stood on a small hill with Zero lying on his back at the bottom of it.

-(^_^)-

By now, everyone was staring at Laxus, whom had beat Zero. Zero himself was enraged. He picked himself up and grabbed his gun again. He aimed at Laxus and pulled the trigger again. This time, the bullet flew through Laxus' chest, opposite of his heart. Zero started laughing as Laxus fell. Everyone's eyes widened. "LAXUS!" Natsu roared. Laxus, lying on his back, grunted, and slowly got up. Now there were two holes in his body, blood leaking quickly from both. "That's what you wanted, right? Now it's my turn. And since you broke the rules, you will have to die." Laxus spoke, acting like nothing happened to intimidate his enemy. They had learned to endure all sorts of wounds, ignore all sorts of pain. All for the sake of scaring their enemy. Which in this case, was working. Laxus was standing on top of the hill, his arms crossed over his chest, blood flowing out of his bicep and chest. His glare was unforgiving. "I was willing to let you get away, too. But now you've left me no choice. Zero, it's time for you to die." Laxus spoke coldly. Everyone was fearing for their lives, seeing Laxus like that. Even his own comrades were starting to feel fear. If there were any doubts about his leadership, they had vanished now.

Laxus leapt off the hill, sending a flying kick at Zero's chest. Zero flew at least a couple of feet backwards, before crashing into the ground. Laxus walked up to him. "Despicable. Pathetic." Laxus looked down at Zero, disgust clear on his face. Zero hadn't let go of the gun, and got back up quickly, shooting again. This time the bullet flew through Laxus' stomach. Laxus took a moment to recover from the impact of a third bullet, but then stood up straight again. "Wh-What the hell are you?!" Zero shouted.

"Your bullets are ineffective Zero. See? Nothing happened." Laxus stretched his arms, and moved them around. He twisted with his body in many different ways. In reality, Laxus was suffering. He was just able to hide the pain very well. Zero just stared wide-eyed. Laxus kicked the gun from his hands in one swift, sharp movement of his leg. 'No more bullets for me, I've had my fair share…' he thought. Laxus threw his knee upwards, using it as a boost for his other leg. He left the ground, one knee highly raised, then kicked Zero in the chest, again. His enemy flew backwards, landing on the ground. Zero got up quickly, but the blonde sent his fist flying towards the white-haired man. Laxus' fist collided with Zero's throat at a high speed, with inhuman force. Zero staggered backwards, grasping his own throat. He tried to breathe, but that just seemed impossible. He fell on the ground, still trying to get some air into his lungs. Laxus had clearly broken his opponent's windpipe. "Nobody messes with my comrades. Remember that in hell."

Zero's eyes widened, but then all the muscles in his body relaxed. And just like that, the infamous 'Nemesis Zero' was no more. Laxus looked around, and Natsu came running towards him. "Laxus! Are you alright?"

Laxus simply smirked, then faced everyone else. "Elfman and Gajeel, knock all the goons out. Meanwhile, Lyon, you give a call to our friend, Gildarts." Lyon replied by moving a bit of his hair out of his face, and giving a small smirk. They called Gildarts every time when they took care of a gang, getting them locked up when they resisted the rules of the Shadow Games. Gildarts was pissed of course, and he had tried the catch them a whole bunch of times. All ended in miserable failure.

Laxus continued giving orders. "Alright, I want the Drunken Falcon and the Twin Dragons to tie the Oracion Seis up and take them back to the base. Jellal decides their fate." Everyone did as they were told. Laxus turned, but Natsu appeared in front of him. "Laxus, you did a good job today." Laxus just simply smiled in response, before falling out of consciousness. Natsu caught him before he fell with one hand. He was losing a lot of blood, and fought long and hard with unbearable wounds. "You deserve a nap, buddy." And just like that, everyone went back to the outside of the forest, after having completed their jobs. Since Freed and Bickslow weren't here, and Bacchus was drunk, the next oldest and most mature took charge. That being Lyon. They needed some kind of leader, otherwise everything would fall apart, due to the constant bickering of the group.

-(^_^)-

Laxus got up slowly. He felt a sharp pain in his arm, chest and stomach. When he opened his eyes, he saw a white ceiling. This wasn't his room, was it? He raised his head slowly, and realized he was in a hospital. He grunted slightly, then looked around. There was no one in the room, but the desk next to his bed was filled with cards and flowers. Laxus was very surprised, then picked up one of the cards and began to read what is said.

'_I heard you were in the hospital, hope you get well soon!'_

_-Evergreen._

He'd expected it from Evergreen, so he grabbed all the other cards and went through them one by one. They were all from his friends at the base and his grandfather. When he got to the last card, he was surprised. It said the following:

'_I hope the flowers help you get well soon! (Seriously, do check them out.) I have no idea what happened, but when I came by your injuries were pretty serious. Get well soon, and get your lazy ass back to school.'_

It had no name. So this person (a girl by the looks of the handwriting), had come by? Who was she? He re-read the message a couple of times. It said to check out the flowers, so he grabbed the white vase and pulled all the flowers out. Then he heard something rattle in the vase when he put it down. He picked it up again, and pulled out a mini-bottle filled with beer. Another small message was written on it.

'_There's no better medicine than relaxing with a good, old beer, is there? Hurry up and drag your lazy ass back here, or I'll do it for you. Get well soon, Sparky.'_

There was only one person who used to call him by that nickname when he was younger. Cana.

-(^_^)-

**So, did ya like it? I really hope you did! Anyway, since it's my birthday, the fact of the day is: Today, on Saturday, the 8****th**** of November 2014, I turned 16.**

**See ya!**

**-Sirev**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**Hi guys! What's up? So, I'm back here with another chapter. I hope you're enjoying this story. You can let me know you are of course by a review, by following, or favoring this story. So, Oracion Seis has been beaten. I actually planned to make all of that two chapters, but then the idea of Cobra's past shot up. So it was three in the end. **

**Of course, a special thanks to **_**Conflicting Chaos**_**! I wouldn't know what I'd do without your support! xD **

**Enjoy!**

**-(^_^)-**

Back at the base, after Laxus had been safely brought to the hospital, they were gathered in the room where they all usually relaxed and discussed things. All of them were seated on sofas and chairs, with stern expressions on their faces.

"…And now he's in the hospital." Lyon finished. Freed and Bickslow looked shocked. Lyon had taken it upon himself to explain what happened after Freed and Bickslow had left with Jellal, Meredy and Richard. Gray told his story afterwards. Jellal was wrapped in bandages, just like Cobra. Some of the others had some minor cuts and bruises, but nothing serious. Kinana was looking a bit better, wearing fresh clothes. Of course all of her wounds had been treated as well. Well, as well as they could manage. They needed a doctor, or nurse, or something in that direction.

"Well, I suggest we all send Laxus cards, wishing him good luck with his recovery." Freed offered.

"And I'll explain his absence in school. So, I'll only have to tell Master and Evergreen. And I'll tell Master that Kinana fell ill or something." Bickslow volunteered.

"Ehm, what do we do with the Oracion Seis?" Meredy spoke up. She was still a little surprised by all these guys and their strong will to protect their loved ones. Especially with this group. She'd wanted to join immediately, but didn't know how to bring the question up.

"Hmm, he did say something about Jellal deciding their fate." Lyon answered her. Everyone looked expectantly at Jellal.

"I'd rather keep them locked up here, and wait until Laxus is healed and back on his feet, before discussing their future." He answered.

"Then that is what we'll do." Freed replied. "And, I think it's best for Jellal, Meredy, Hot Eye, Cobra and Kinana to stay here for a couple of days. Of course, Sting and Rogue already live here."

"Please, call me Richard." Hot Eye spoke first.

Cobra simply grunted in agreement, his arms folded across his chest. He wanted to say no, but after what happened, he'd rather keep an eye on Kinana. He looked over at her, and she looked back at him, before turning to the group and nodding. Cobra had told her everything about this group on the way back with Gray. She was surprised, to say the least. A group of guys, who had been through hell, training their asses off, just keep it from happening again? Nonetheless, she was proud of Cobra. Apparently, he had someone to protect. She made a mental note to tease him about it later.

Meredy nodded, looking hopefully at Jellal. She knew their blue-haired leader didn't like to stay in one place for too long. He gave her a look, then sighed and agreed.

"Alright, Bickslow will set up your rooms. You can tell him if you want to share a room with someone, or have one for yourself." Freed explained.

-(^_^)-

She let out another depressed sigh. "Don't worry, it's probably some sort of mistake. It'll all be cleared up soon." Her friend assured her. She wanted to believe her, but she just knew something was going on. Nonetheless, she smiled at her friend to show appreciation for her efforts. Her friend smiled back, and they continued working on their homework together. After the girl had moved in with her friend to recover from the shock, they decided to make it a permanent thing, since they got along so well. "So, how is school with your new headmaster?" the blonde asked her friend.

"To be honest, it's better in some ways. But Minerva is just as cruel as her father was." The white-haired girl answered. "I wonder, could Sting have really killed him? For me?" the white-haired girl spoke her thoughts. Unknown to her, she had a small smile on her face. "It would be romantic if it'd be true, wouldn't it?" the blonde teased her friend.

"L-Lucy-sama!" the white-haired girl exclaimed, blushing a deep shade of red.

"You like him! ~" Lucy stated in a sing-song voice.

"I-I do not! Lucy-sama, please!" A flustered Yukino answered, as her cheeks grew a deeper shade of red.

"Still in denial? Well, that'll be fixed." Lucy smirked, teasing her friend further.

"Then what about you and Natsu-sama?! You two clearly have something going on!" Yukino countered. Now Lucy's cheeks were dusted by a light shade of pink.

"Wh-What?! Me and the dense idiot?! Never!" Lucy answered a bit too quickly.

They gave each other a look, before bursting with laughter.

-(^_^)-

Time for school. Of course, after his morning exercise and daily shower, he made breakfast and ate in silence, all by himself. He didn't mind getting up early. It only made him feel fresher. He had made breakfast for three. Evergreen would be down soon enough, and Bickslow always came walking in at the last minute.

So after he had eaten, he got up and walked to school, instead of taking the car. He was rather early, and he'd arrive with time to spare too. Besides, Bickslow and Evergreen would need it more than him. He took a long, deep breath through his nostrils and released it in a sigh from his mouth. He set his suit straight, and continued walking. He wore a red suit most of the time, just for formality.

He entered the school and walked through the empty hallways. But while walking, he heard a faint sound. Deciding to check it out, he headed towards it. It came from outside, where everyone usually went to have their break when the weather was nice. He slightly opened the door and slipped outside. He heard a sweet voice. It was… singing. It was a sincere sound, and he felt his heart skip a beat. He approached it, and spotted the owner of the angelic voice. She was sitting on the grass, leaning her back against a tree trunk. She had her eyes closed, her lips moved slowly. She moved a strand of her silver, long hair behind her ear. The red dress she was wearing just enhanced her beauty. She was in the middle of a song, and after Freed was able to tear his eyes away from her, he could make out the lyrics.

"_-You broke a promise, and made me realize. It was all just a lie!_

_Sparkling angel, I couldn't see, your dark intentions, your feelings for me._

_Fallen angel, tell me why! ~ What is the reason, the thorn in your eye?_

_I see the angels, I'll lead them to your door. There's no escape now, no mercy, no more._

_No remorse, cause I still remember! ~_

_The smile when you tore me apart! ~_

_You took my heart, deceived me right from the start! You showed me dreams, I wish they'd turn into real! ~_

_You broke a promise, and made me realize! It was all just a lie! ~_

_Could have been, forever, now we have reached the end ~"_

She went silent for a while, bowing her head. Then she continued, raising her head as she sang. Freed could only stare in amazement.

"_This world may have failed you, it doesn't give the reason why._

_You could have a different path in life. ~_

_The smile when you tore me apart!_

_You took my heart, deceived me right from the start! You showed me dreams, I wish they'd turn into real! You broke a promise, and made me realize! It was all just a lie! _

_Could have been, forever, now we have reached the end! ~"_

Her voice died down slowly, and Freed assumed it was the end of the song. Now she was starting to get up, so the green-haired student hid himself behind a tree. Truth be told, he's had a crush on her for a couple of years now, but was never able to gather enough courage to approach her and talk to her. Even right now, he was too nervous to go and talk to her. She walked past him, and just when he was about to slip away, she spoke up. "Good morning, Freed."

-(^_^)-

Everyone knew of Sting via the news, but what of Rogue? Barely anyone knew of him. And he could fade away if anyone found out. Switching to a stealthier mode just felt so natural to him. It was like becoming one with your surroundings. You just had to feel it, and done. You were gone for anyone who didn't look well enough.

As he was walking through the street, looking for some food to buy, he spotted a market. Deciding he could probably get some fruit there, he headed over towards it. He found the stand which was selling fruit and approached it. He grabbed a plastic bag and filled it with fruit. He noticed someone's presence next to him, but didn't pay much attention to it. He paid for the groceries and set off again. He pulled an apple from the bag and took a generous bite out of it, munching on the piece of food while walking.

He felt a little weird after leaving the market. As if he was forgetting something. Deciding to head back, something caught his eye. It was a woman, in white clothes, a white headband, with dark hair and black tights. She was heading towards the opposite direction from his destination. Nonetheless, he knew he had to find out who she was, so he ran after her.

-(^_^)-

"GAJEEL REDFOX!"

"Hm?" Said man let out a heavy, intoxicating yawn, just waking up. "What is it, you old hag? You disturbed my nap."

"NAP?! YOU'RE IN SCHOOL! YOU CAN'T FALL ASLEEP HERE!"

"I can't help it. All this talk of yours about that short, bald, Russian dude with a temper is getting boring." Gajeel answered his teacher calmly, poking his pinky finger into his ear.

"THAT'S IT! DETENTION!"

"So, now you're just giving me more nap time while you're totally against me sleeping in here? Makes sense." He replied, the last part being sarcastic.

That's when the class burst out laughing. Gajeel gave a simple 'tch', before glancing over at the tiny bluenette sitting next to him. She gave a nervous giggle, apparently not so amused with the situation. She was a real mystery to him. But what's life without a challenge? He'd solve the mystery, he told himself that. So when he came walking into class this morning, and saw her two lapdogs fight over who gets to sit next to her, he took his chance and plopped down beside her. Her face had been priceless. But she'd looked afraid to, he wondered why. Of course he understood why people were afraid of a huge, intimidating guy with shaggy, black hair, glaring, red eyes, and a face full of piercings. But the fear she showed was of a different kind. It was… like she thought he was some kind of monster. Some kind of creature that would eat her alive. He didn't like that. Especially when it came from someone as short and harmless as this girl.

"And just for that, you can go to the principal!" the teacher yelled.

Gajeel grunted, packed his stuff, and headed towards Master Makarov's office. When he arrived, he hit his knuckle against the wooden door a couple of times. He heard a hum of the old man inside, so he entered the room. He sat down in front of the desk, setting his bag beside him on the chair. "Again, Gajeel?" the smaller, but much older man asked.

"Yeah. I didn't even beat someone up this time. All I did was take a nap."

"During class?"

"Yeah."

"Gajeel, we both now you have excellent grades. But your behavior is also important. You won't be able to get a job anywhere if you keep this up." The master of the school explained.

"Yeah, yeah. I get'cha." Gajeel answered uninterestedly.

"If that will be all, you're dismissed."

Gajeel got up and was about to take his leave, but then he stopped as a thought entered his mind. He sat back down and looked at the old man. "I've got a question, actually."

"What is it?"

"Levy McGarden. Tiny girl with blue hair."

"Yes, I know who she is. What's your question?"

"…Why is she so afraid of me?" Gajeel asked.

Makarov let out a sigh. "You don't remember? Fine, then listen."

**So, I hope you enjoyed reading that as much as I enjoyed writing it. Anyway, the song Mira sings is 'Angels' by **_**Within Temptation**_**. I found the song a couple of years ago, and absolutely loved it. So I decided to use it for that scene. **

**See ya!**

**-Sirev **


	9. Laxus x Cana

Chapter 9

**Sorry I'm late, but I was working on a new story. Anyway, special Laxana chapter! This whole chapter is gonna be Laxus x Cana! That's my favorite ship, I love those two characters way too much! And since Laxana week just passed, I decided to base an entire chapter on the two of them. By the way, if you haven't seen it yet, I suggest you check out my newest story, called: 'My Dear, Sweet Little Brat.' It's a story entirely based on Laxana, especially for Laxana week. **

**And a thanks to **_**zkorage **_**and **_**QueenVictoriaXIV **_**for following this story!**

**A special thanks to **_**Conflicting Chaos **_**for reviewing! **

**Enjoy!**

**-(^_^)-**

'Damn…' Laxus thought. 'Looks like I'm stuck here…' It had been days since he had woken up. His grandfather had visited a couple of times, yelling at him to be more careful. Apparently Bickslow had told everyone Laxus fell from his motorbike.

Laxus emptied the mini-bottle of beer he'd gotten from Cana. "This sucks." He muttered to himself. He aimed, then threw the bottle straight into the bin. And at the same moment, the door creaked open, and a certain brunette poked her head inside. Laxus lifted one eyebrow higher than the other. Cana came walking in. "Hey, how ya feelin'?" she asked.

"A hell lot better thanks to yer beer. Why don't you study medicine?" Laxus asked, dead serious.

Cana chuckled and sat down next to his bed. "What are you still doing here, Sparky? It was just a simple accident, wasn't it?"

"Y-Yeah. Nothing serious." Laxus answered. "And quit calling me Sparky, you alcoholic."

"Alcoholic? Seriously?" Cana rolled her eyes, folding her arms across her chest. "You're gonna have to do better than that, you know."

"Yeah, whatever." Laxus muttered. Suddenly, after a moment of silence he spoke again: "Fuck this."

"Fuck what?" she asked.

Laxus answered her question by disabling all the devices that were attached to him, then getting up, looking for his clothes.

Cana blushed when she saw him shirtless, but quickly regained her composure. She'd known he was muscular, but not this much. And it suited him too, other than some guys that just buffed themselves up and tried to impress girls.

"Oi, Cana?" Laxus snapped his fingers in front of her face, snapping her back into reality. "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Hey, how about we spend the day together?" She asked, with a beating heart.

Laxus gave her a sign with his hand that told her to lead the way.

…

They were both walking through the town of Crocus together. It was the capital of Fiore, and most high schools were located here, which was convenient for Laxus. He could reach his comrades faster in case of emergency. All of them lived in Crocus too, so those things were quite handy. "So, any plans of what we can do?" Laxus asked her.

"Well, we're definitely having a drink tonight." She answered.

"And what are we doing right now?" He asked.

"Let me think." And after a moment, she spoke again. "Had breakfast yet?"

"Nope. Wait, let me guess. Old man Yajima's place?"

"It's only the best restaurant in the world."

"Let's go." His stomach had started growling, thinking of the great food they were about to have.

…

Yajima is a friend of Master Makarov. He used to be part of the government, but quit. Now he owns a restaurant. Laxus and many others from Fairy Tail have been helping him out on behalf of their headmaster.

When both of them entered the restaurant, they started drooling. And all by smell too. "The old man sure knows how to cook." Laxus sniffed the air, smiling with content.

"True that." Cana agreed.

They went to sit down at a free table. Sitting opposite of each other, they began having a small conversation.

"So, are you feeling any better?" Cana asked.

"This? It's nothing, really." Laxus answered shortly and simply.

"But what happened? Your bike crashed into someone else or something?"

"Uh, no, I… I hit a tree." Laxus came up with his excuse. He immediately regretted it, because Cana burst out laughing. Bad excuse.

"A tree?! Hahaha! A tree gets the better of Laxus Dreyar?!" She laughed, amusedly pulling out a silver bottle.

"Drinking already?" He asked.

"It's never too early to drink, Sparky." She replied with a wink, taking a swig from the bottle. Laxus growled, but before he could retort, the waitress arrived.

"Hello, and welcome at 8island, may I take your- Laxus?!" She shrieked. Said blonde turned to the waitress, his eyes widening.

"Oh, shit." Laxus cursed.

"What the hell are you doing here?! You're supposed to be in bed! At the hospital!" She continued to scream.

"Evergreen, please calm down. You're disrupting the meal of- wait, Laxus?!" A green-haired man joined.

"Hey, what's all the ruckus?" Bickslow arrived, wearing his visor, like usual. "Heya, Laxus! What's up?" He greeted when he spotted the blonde.

Cana chuckled, and Laxus gave her a glare. "And what are you doing here?!" Evergreen yelled at Cana.

"Hangin' out with Laxus, what does it look like?" Cana replied coolly.

"Laxus, what are you doing here? You're wounded. You should be resting at the hospital." Freed spoke, trying to ease the tension.

"Yeah, Freedy's right. You took three bull-!" Bickslow continued, but was cut off by Freed's elbow. "I mean, you crashed. With your bike." He corrected himself.

Cana gave a curious look, and Evergreen seemed confused. "You took three what?" Evergreen asked.

"Tree, not three. I crashed against a tree, happy?" Laxus decided to use the lie. "And I'm here, because the wounds were not that serious."

"And what are you doing here with booze girl?" Evergreen asked, glaring at the brunette.

"You people really need to come up with better insults." She answered, returning the glare.

"Laxus, no disrespect, but I really think you should head back to the hospital. You crashed pretty hard against that tree." Freed spoke up again.

"It's nothing, Freed. Really." Laxus answered.

"Well, then I'm sorry." He replied.

"Sorry? What for?" Laxus asked.

"For this." Freed answered, grabbing Laxus' right arm, and gripping the bullet wound firmly. Laxus roared in pain, and the whole restaurant turned to them.

"Let me go, goddamn it!" Laxus growled threateningly. Freed obliged and let go of his leader's arm.

"Laxus, you're in no condition to be walking around like that." Freed spoke his mind. Evergreen and Cana just stared at the two men in silence and shock.

"Oi, Laxus. You alright?" Cana asked with concern in her voice.

"I'm fine…" He replied, then took a deep breath, facing his friends. "Could we have our breakfast now?" He asked, as if nothing happened.

"If you insist…" Freed answered, then headed back to the kitchen, Bickslow following close behind. Evergreen noted their order, and brought it to Freed and Bickslow.

"Hey, Laxus, if you're not feeling well, we can always head back to the hospital." Cana offered with genuine concern.

"No, it's fine." Laxus answered. Cana gave a nod, and Bickslow brought their food after a while. Both of them started digging in, moaning in pleasure. Laxus forgot all his pain for the moment, chewing the food quickly and hungrily.

"This is so gooooooood!" Cana moaned, forgetting everything that just happened briefly. Laxus nodded in agreement, simply because his mouth was too stuffed to utter a word.

…

They walked over the streets of the town. Laxus with his arms folded, while Cana's arms followed the movements of her legs. "What now?" Laxus asked.

"We'll see. Whatever comes our way, I suppose." The brunette answered.

"Hm." Laxus acknowledged. They silently continued walking, reaching the park. They both sat down on a bench, completely in silence. Laxus, because he just was this way. Cana, because she was a little nervous.

"L-Laxus?" She started.

"Yeah?" Came the reply.

"What happened after you got expelled? I heard you started traveling." She questioned.

"Nothing special. I did travel, but not a lot. Not too far, either. Simply roaming the streets." He answered.

"Did you really hit a tree with your bike?" she asked, changing topics, in case Laxus wasn't comfortable with the previous subject.

"Yeah, why?"

"You were out for almost a week." She answered.

"I was?" He asked in disbelief, while she nodded. "I see…"

"Anyways, wanna go catch a movie?"

"Sure." Both of them got up and headed to the cinema. They sat down in their seats, after they had paid for their tickets and bought popcorn.

…

After the movie had ended, they stepped into the setting sunlight. The movie had taken very long. "Time for the bar!" Cana exclaimed with a passion.

"You know, I get the feeling you drink too much." He spoke with concern.

"You can never drink too much!" She replied. Arriving at the bar, they sat down in the barstools provided.

"Two beers to start us off." Cana ordered. The beers arrived, and Laxus sipped his while Cana gulped down hers. Cana was at her third when Laxus got halfway of his first. "Not so fast, Cana." He warned. "Who knows what might happen."

"I can take it, Sparky. Drinking is one of my only talents." She gave a smirk, while downing her third.

"Right." He spoke.

…

They went on, Cana now drunk, while Laxus was taking it easy. Someone had to take her home, and he couldn't just let his guard down. Turns out he was correct about the latter. A man gave quick and unnoticeable nods to other men around one of the tables. They didn't go unnoticed by Laxus, and he kept an eye on the tall bastard. The man sat down next to Cana, his arm tattooed with a logo Laxus vaguely recognized. He couldn't remember what from, though. All he knew was that it wasn't a good sign. The man sipped his beer quietly, while Laxus did the same, keeping a close eye on him. Call it a gut feeling. You never ignore a gut feeling. The man turned to Cana. "Can I order you another drink?" Cana looked at him, and gave a smirk. "Sure~" She answered. The man gave a nod to the barman. Laxus watched closely, and saw the barman slipping something in the drink. Bastards were planning to rape her. As soon as the beer arrived, she downed it before Laxus could stop her. He saw her tumbling and falling on the floor. The man crouched beside her. "Are you alright? Do you need me to take you home?" How dumb did they think he was?

"I'll do that." Laxus interrupted. He gave a dangerous glare to the man, picking Cana up and slinging her over his shoulder. He exited the bar, picking up a bottle. He didn't bother paying.

As he stepped outside, the cool air hit him. He liked the feeling of a nice breeze nipping at his face. He set Cana down against the building, and turned around to greet the visitors. A handful of men stood behind him, while he opened the bottle and took a sip. They cracked their knuckles. He cracked his neck and glared. "Let's play a game." He offered, moving to stand in the middle of the street. He threw his coat towards Cana's direction. "A shadow game. If I win, you bastards burn. If you win, I die and you get the girl. The rules are simple. You try to catch me." The men, not having said a word, nodded at each other and started running towards the blonde. The scarred man in return smirked, and ran towards them. He slipped through them like liquid electricity, occasionally spilling some of the drink. He shot left and right, dodging the men.

Now he stood in front of them, while they were panting. He took a few steps backwards, and finished the drink. "Looks like I win."

"Win? All you did was run around! If you were a real man, you'd fight us!" One of them roared. Laxus simply smirked.

"You fools aren't worth it." He answered.

"Why, you…-"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Look at the ground." They did as he suggested. There was a complicated pattern drawn out of the drink Laxus had spilled. It looked somewhat like a Star of David and the men were each standing in a point.

"So what? All you did was spill some beer."

"Wrong. This isn't beer. It's Russian Vodka. 90% alcohol." Laxus replied, pulling out a lighter. "And, as you bastards probably know, alcohol is highly flammable." He continued. He lighted the lighter and threw it at them. Flames erupted in the middle of the street, the men burning alive and screaming in agony. Laxus simply walked over to Cana, picking up his coat in the process. He threw it around her shoulders, letting his coat envelop her completely, while he carried her back towards his house.

-(^_^)-

**I love that pairing. And I came up with a pretty good shadow game! (Even if I do say so myself). **

**Fact of the day: I just entered a writing contest!**

**See ya!**

**-Sirev**


	10. Sting x Yukino

Chapter 10

**Hi! So, I found out its StingYu week! Since it's not my favorite ship (and because I'm busy), I haven't written a story especially for this week. But, this chapter is dedicated to the two of them! **

**Enjoy!**

**-(^_^)-**

"Come on, Freed-san! Please!"

"I said no. Laxus isn't here, and without him, I can't just make this huge decision by myself." Freed answered.

"Freed-san, I just wanna see her! She might think I'm just some cold-blooded murderer!"

"Well, you are. Remember when we threw away our humanity to protect our loved ones?"

"If we had thrown away all of our humanity, why would we still protect them?" He asked.

Freed seemed to think about it, then replied briefly. "I'm sorry, but without Laxus here, I cannot just let you go."

The blond glared at his comrade, then as he turned away, Natsu walked up to him and handed him his cloak. "Go. I'll discuss it with Freed."

Sting gave a smile, thanking the pink-haired man silently, threw on his cloak, and left.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Natsu asked, once he reached the green-haired man.

"You're not as stupid as you make everyone think you are." Freed replied simply. "When Laxus comes back, you take the blame for that one." The swordsman told him, while walking away.

-(^_^)-

Sting slipped into the apartment he thought belonged to his white-haired friend. He had his hood pulled over his head, so no one would recognize him. Since he couldn't find her anywhere inside the tiny living room/bedroom, he slipped into the kitchen. Not here either. Maybe the bathroom? He wasn't going to enter, in case… you know… But just a glance to see if she was inside. He picked the lock of the door, creaked it open slightly, and glanced inside. And what he saw next made him shut the door as quickly as possible. Inside was a huge, bearded man, checking the mirror. 'What the hell? Wasn't this her apartment?' he thought. 'Maybe she's still at Lucy-san's pl-' "WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!"

"_Shit._" Was all that left Sting's mouth before he was thrown through the living room.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" The man roared. He rushed at Sting, who jumped to the side, having recovered from the previous throw. Sting sent his leg flying into the back of the man's knee. He roared and fell on his knee. Sting knocked him unconscious by smashing his elbow into his opponent's head. "_Definitely not _Yukino!"

-(^_^)-

Said woman was alone in the house that now belonged to her and Lucy. She was cooking, Lucy would be coming home soon from her job. Wearing a blouse and shorts, she was humming a song. Yukino had found a spot in the military, but decided to go to a martial arts school first. Maybe a couple of years in the police afterwards? She had always wanted to be a law enforcer, but was never strong enough. Now was the time to change that.

"I'd add some salt to that." She heard a voice behind her say. An awfully familiar voice. Yukino turned around, staring at the cloaked figure, who gave her a toothy grin. And an awfully familiar toothy grin too. Her eyes widened, and tears threatened to leave her brown, warm eyes. She jumped towards the man that had taken revenge for her and enveloped him in a hug, his hood falling off due to the force of the impact.

Sting was surprised. He'd expected her to be afraid, so he showed her his signature grin. Either that worked well, or she wasn't afraid of him at all. He hugged her back hesitantly. And now he felt her sobbing against his chest. He tightened his hold on her. "Yukino…" He whispered silently. "I'm so sorry." She just silently tightened her hug.

…

They were sitting on the couch. Sting had explained everything to her, not wanting to lie anymore. And with everything, I mean _everything_.

"So… The people that got rid of the gang that attacked me… Were you guys?" She asked.

"Well, actually, it was all Rogue. We were just with him for back up, in case he needed any."

"Wait, are you… those rumored guardians…?" She questioned, the truth finally dawning on her.

"So that's what they're calling us now? Seriously, all we do is get rid of the people that hurt our loved ones." He answered.

"You got rid of the whole Oracion Seis gang!" She exclaimed.

"Yeah, well… kinda…" he answered. "But listen to me, Yuki, nobody can know what I've just told you, alright?"

"R-Right."

"I trust you." Sting told her.

"Yukino!~ Are you still up?!" She heard Lucy call from the hallway. She shot a panicked glance at Sting, who simply smiled and whispered. "I'll take my leave, then."

"Wait!" Yukino stopped him. "I promise not to tell anyone, if you meet me at the park, every week. Okay?"

"Okay." He smiled, then pulled on his hood and jumped out of the window, just when Lucy came walking in.

"What the hell was that?" She asked.

"A dragon… A shining dragon…"

-(^_^)-

Sting walked into the park, wearing a blue high neck with a blue coat, and neat, beige pants. He wanted to look good, although the reason he didn't realize himself. Setting his coat straight, checking for any flaws in his attire, he started walking. When he looked up, he saw Yukino sitting on a bench, munching on an apple. She was wearing a blue coat, which was open. Behind it, he could spot her blouse and black skirt. She had a scarf around her neck. Like always, that beautiful blue flower in her hair. She hadn't spotted him yet, so he did what anyone would do to someone sensitive to tickling. He snuck up behind her, using the skills he'd learned from Rogue, and then slowly brought his hands to her sides. His fingers started to go berserk and she burst out laughing. It was definitely a special sight. Seeing a usually composed, disciplined girl break down laughing. Finally Sting's fingers stopped moving, and Yukino stopped laughing, blushing from embarrassment. Sting gave a wide grin, and Yukino smiled, forgiving her friend almost immediately. She got up and they took a walk together. The walk wasn't silent. Sting, like usual, talked his heart out. Anything that came to his mind, came out of his mouth. Well, maybe some thoughts were sorted in the private section. Yukino smiled at his enthusiasm to talk, and gave nods. They walked past an apple tree, and she glanced at the apples. Deciding she wanted another one, she reached for it, but it was simply too high. In one swift movement, however, Sting was in the air, and grabbed a large apple, landing back on his feet. He held it out to her, and she reached for it, but just when she was about grab it, Sting brought it to his own lips, took a huge bite. "Juicy!" He grinned. Yukino pouted automatically, and Sting gave her the apple. They continued walking in a comfortable silence. Sting had his hands in his pockets, while Yukino was eating her apple.

"Hey, Yukino, why did you ask me to come to the park every week?" Sting asked, curious all of a sudden.

"Well, because I missed seeing you, and didn't want you to disappear from my life all of a sudden." She answered quickly, a small blush staining her cheeks.

"What about Rogue?" He asked.

"Rogue? Rogue comes by almost every night." She answered simply, a smile on her face.

"I should've figured he'd do something like that…" Sting mumbled. Yukino laughed.

…

At the end of the day, they were sitting on the grass field, staring at the sunset. "This has been a great day, you know." Sting spoke up.

"Yes, I agree." Yukino replied.

"I will see you next week, right?" Sting asked hopefully.

"I did say every week, so yeah." Yukino smiled.

"Yes! I can't wait!" Sting exclaimed, falling onto Yukino's lap. His head was placed on her legs, and Yukino was flustered. Sting grinned widely, before closing his eyes. "S-Sting…"

"Give me a moment…" The blond muttered, his face peaceful. Yukino silently stared at the sunset, and couldn't help but sneak quick glances at his face. He looked so relaxed. She hesitantly stroked her fingers through his bright, blond hair, and a smile automatically appeared on his face. It's like a load of stress just disappeared. He looked even more peaceful and relaxed now than before. She didn't want to disturb him, so she just sat in one place until the stars came out. Her phone started ringing, and she picked up quickly

"Hello?" she nearly whispered.

"Yukino? Where are you? You should've been home already!" A worried Lucy spoke.

"Right. Don't worry, I'm fine. I'll be right there." She answered quietly again.

"Okay, make it back safely. Call me if there's anything wrong."

"Got it. See you soon." She whispered, then hung up on the call.

She was about to shake Sting awake, when she noticed his baby blue eyes staring into her deep brown ones. When he realized where he was and what was happening, he shot up immediately, a blush dusting his cheeks. "I… fell asleep?" He asked sheepishly.

"Y-Yeah…" Yukino answered with a blush of her own. Sting offered her his hand, and she took it, getting up.

"I'll walk you home." He offered. She nodded gratefully.

The way to the apartment was silent. They didn't know what to say to each other. Mainly they were just confused about their feelings. Sting was starting to realize he liked her. A lot. And Yukino… Yukino didn't know what to think. She always saw Sting as one of her best friends. But what now? Did she actually like him? As more than just friends? She glanced at him, and saw that he was doing the same thing. They averted their gazes, blushing madly.

"Well… we're here." Sting said finally. Yukino glanced up at the building. 'I'll see you next week…" He said.

"Yeah…" She replied. Before Sting could turn away, Yukino hugged him. Sting hugged her back, a smile plastered on his face. "Bye…" She said when she broke free from the hug.

"See ya!" Sting replied cheerfully, then left as Yukino entered the apartment.

…

The Shadow Dragon slipped in through the window. Lucy was reading a book, like usual. But Yukino wasn't here yet. "Hi, Rogue." Lucy said, as she noticed the shadow next to Yukino's bed. Yeah, Lucy knew Rogue came by almost every night. Rogue had told her and Yukino he had no idea where his 'brother' was, but didn't come to school, since people would bug him about it.

Rogue nodded at Lucy. "Where's Yukino?"

"I don't know. I called her, and she said she was on her way." Lucy answered. Just then, Yukino came walking in.

"Where were you?" Rogue asked. Yukino put her bag down and took her coat and scarf off, sitting on the bed.

"Rogue, we need to talk." Yukino looked him dead in the eye, and for a second, Rogue felt fear course through his body.


End file.
